Ebola nurse Salome Karwah's husband says hospital's negligence behind her death

Ebola nurse Salome Karwah's husband has said that hospital's negligence was behind his wife's death.

Karwah, who is known for her frontline work against Ebola, died on 21 February due to childbirth-related complications.

The Liberian health worker, who herself was an Ebola survivor, was one among those named as Time magazine's person of the year in 2014 for her extraordinary contribution against the disease.

Her husband, James Harris, said the hospital staff was unwilling to touch her, fearing that they might contract Ebola - even though she recently tested negative for the disease.

Karwah had given birth to her fourth child, Solomon, via a caesarian section on 17 February.

Within hours of being discharged from the hospital, she developed complications and was rushed to emergency ward.

Harris told the BBC that his wife was put on waiting for several hours as the nurses were frightened to touch her. "I personally went into the emergency ward to bring a wheelchair to take my wife into the operation room.

"What really hurt me was a nurse on duty, instead of attending to the emergency, was standing by the front counter busy on Facebook," he said, adding that the staff did not act on time "because she was an Ebola survivor and maybe they thought she still had Ebola".

Harris has also accused the hospital of discharging his wife early after the delivery despite the fact that she had high-blood pressure.

The hospital is yet to release a statement. Health authorities maintain that they are probing the case.

"The investigation is ongoing, there is not much I can say. As it is now, it is kind of scanty to come out with anything, we have to do a thorough investigation," Dr Francis Kateh, Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, said.

"We understand the condition of the husband. He's feeling bad and so forth, but at the same time we have to be careful. The hospital knew she had Ebola and they operated on her which put them at more risk," the CMO added.