examination that it was the decision of the doctor as to what was going to happen to this patient. She further testified that the doctor should also sign the consent form to sterilisation. She testified that when the plaintiff was admitted she assumed, based on the notes contained on the front page of the ante-natal case record, that the plaintiff had already agreed to a sterilisation and that she did not have to discuss this issue with the plaintiff since it was indicated on the ante-natal case record that the plaintiff had accepted to be sterilised. She testified that it must have been 27 Dr. Sichimwa who explained the sterilisation procedure since he signed the declaration at the bottom of the consent form for sterilisation. [57] The notes in the maternity record do not explain which doctor explained the sterilisation procedure to plaintiff or what was explained to her. Nurse Tjimbundu testified during cross examination that family planning provided at group sessions at ante-natal classes would not constitute counseling in any proper sense and individual counseling is still required. She testified that during these sessions the patients are only shown the different methods which are available and if a patient indicates during an ante-natal care class that she wants a sterilisation, she would be referred to a doctor for proper counseling. This she confirmed during re-examination. [58] Godfrey Sichimwa qualified in the year 2004 from St Georges University in the West Indies as medical practitioner and thereafter pursued post graduate studies at the University of Witwatersrand in 2009 with the aim of becoming a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist. During August 2005 he took up the post of medical officer within the Ministry of Health and Social Services at Katutura State Hospital. On 13 October 2005, he was on duty as medical officer. From inscriptions in the maternity record it appears according to his testimony that the plaintiff had a planned operation for a caesarean section and bilateral tubal ligation but somehow did not turn up to be given a date for the operation. She was in early labour and the plan was to allow labour to progress and for a bilateral tubal ligation to be done at a later stage. [59] On 13 October 2005 at 08h35 when ward rounds were done by Dr. Krönke, he was present. He testified that due to the prolonged first stage of labour a caesarean section would have been offered to the plaintiff and that in view to her age, the number of children she had, and her retroviral status, a bilateral tubal ligation would have been offered again since it had already been offered in terms of the health records of the 28 plaintiff. He testified how he would have explained a caesarean section and a sterilisation procedure to a patient, the risks involved, the nature of the operations, how the procedures are done and that sterilisation is one of the most effective contraceptives available. These would have been explained in layman’s terms and in a language which the plaintiff understands.