Woman gives birth while minutes away from Bophelong Clinic in Ivory Park

Ivory Park community members claim that a pregnant woman who recently went into labour while minutes away from Bophelong Clinic was left unattended by clinic staff.

According to one concerned resident, Neo Molekwa, the woman was walking to the clinic at around 8am. While she was walking to the clinic, she went into labour. Molekwa said, “The woman gave birth a few minutes from the clinic because community members were not being heard when they called for help from the nurses.

“Some of the community who were helping out went to the clinic to go ask for a wheelchair but the staff refused to give them one while even refusing to come outside to help the woman.”

Nthatisi Modingoane, spokesperson for the Gauteng Health Department, said that at about 9am, a man and a woman came to the clinic and said that there was a woman who was in labour on the street near the Mlambo informal settlement.

ALSO READ: Midrand clinics prepare for the coronavirus

“They were advised to call Emergency Medical Services to pick up the patient and bring her to the clinic. About 25 minutes later, two ladies came requesting assistance for the same women, so they were also told to call EMS and the nurse took their contact numbers to follow up.

“At about 10am, they came in carrying the women and the baby in a blanket and were ushered to the emergency room and were attended to.”

Modingoane said that about 10 minutes later the ambulance arrived and both mother and baby were transferred to Tembisa Hospital for further observation.

“Having said that, the matter is being looked into, and where it is found that there is wrongdoing on the part of the staff, necessary action will be taken.”

Related Article: 

https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/247450/midrand-clinics-prepare-for-the-coronavirus/