DA conducts oversight inspection of Mamelodi Hospital after baby’s death

DA member Siviwe Gwarube and the DA’s Gauteng shadow health member of the executive council (MEC), Jack Bloom, will on Monday morning conduct an oversight inspection at the Mamelodi Hospital where a newborn baby last week allegedly fell to his death after nurses allegedly refused to assist the mother during labour.

Civil rights group #NotInMyName has expressed sadness over the baby’s death.

It is alleged that the baby fell to his death last week when the mother, believed to be a Zimbabwean national, gave birth while standing and didn’t receive any assistance from staff, Rekord East reports, and this statement was echoed by #NotInMyName secretary-general Themba Masango.

“According to the patient, the nurses uttered xenophobic phrases such as ‘This is not Zimbabwe’,” said Masango.

On Monday, the DA said issues within the Gauteng health department had been left to decay at the hands of poor national governance.

“We will insist [on] the implementation of urgent measures in a bid to make sure that this never happens again.”

Gwarube said there were clear deep problems at the facility which needed further investigation.

(Compiled by Gopolang Moloko)

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.