Following the recent pictures doing the rounds of newly-born babies who were placed in card boxes at Mahikeng Provincial Hospital (Bophelong), the Provincial Health Department MEC Madoda Sambatha, on Wednesday afternoon, called the media to a briefing where he outlined the recent developments at the trouble-riddled Hospital.
The MEC clarified some of the information distorted on social media platforms. The MEC alluded that 56 newborn babies were delivered.
"I only learnt about this situation last Thursday night when pictures of babies in boxes at the Provincial Hospital surfaced on social media. After learning about the situation, I took it upon myself as MEC to physically visit the Hospital and establish the facts without having to rely on social media and other forms of information that might have distorted the facts," stated Sambatha.
Responding to questions thrown at him by the media personnel, Sambatha stated that the reason for the provisional transfer of the five managers was based on the fact that their presence within the different units at MPH might jeopardize the course of the investigation into the matter.
“The Department is not going to point fingers at the nurses and doctors who delivered the newly-born babies, but we should rather be worried about those managers who chose not to visit the ward that housed those infants placed in cardboard boxes. The babies were delivered on Thursday, stretching to the weekend, but none of these managers had visited that ward by Monday. Some even climbed into their cars and drove to Rustenburg for a certain event hosted there," added Sambatha.
The MEC also stressed that the shortage of incubators at MPH was a non-issue because the Hospital would have sourced incubators from other districts within the province through the assistance of its Provincial Department. Sambatha stated that it was unfortunate that the recent incidents took place under the watch of an Acting Hospital CEO in the absence of the permanent one.
The North West Department of Health has placed the "Nursing Manager" of the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital's (MPH) neo-natal section under precautionary suspension after newborn babies were placed in cardboard boxes at the Hospital.
According to the Department, the manager had failed to report that the section had to place newborn babies in the boxes due to a lack of resources at the Hospital. The incident came to light after a photo posted on Facebook went viral showing babies in brown cardboard boxes wrapped in purple hospital blankets with nasogastric tubes.
An investigation revealed that the photo was from MPH and had been taken on Saturday at around 11:00. On that day, 56 babies were delivered in the ward, but only 16 incubators and 31 cribs were available. MEC Madoda Sambatha said he has since instructed management to find extra incubators and cribs for the Hospital from the available ones in the province.
The MEC has also set up a task team to investigate the entire nursing division at the Hospital. "The MPH management will activate a redress process with the affected families. Relevant labour relations processes will determine what will happen from precautionary suspension," the department indicated.
