MBOMBELA – Rob Ferreira Hospital has once again been accused of neglect and poor service to patients and members of the public.
A pregnant 30-year-old woman claims she was traumatised by the staff of the hospital, verbally abused, and left unattended until her unborn baby died.
The bereaved mother alleged that she had to carry the stillborn for more than 10 hours until she gave birth naturally at 12:00 the following day.
Speaking to this newspaper, Ms Jabulile Nkosi of Matsulu explained how she rushed to the hospital on June 26 after showing signs of being in labour, allegedly only to be turned away by doctors who told her that she was still far from her due date.
“I told them that according to my calculations, the pregnancy was at its 28th week and I think I was in labour. However, they wouldn’t believe me and turned me back,” she said.
“Indeed I went back home and I was not my usual self. Two weeks later I packed my bags and went back to the hospital on July 17, but was discharged the following day.
On July 20 doctors checked me again and I was told there were no signs of labour, yet I felt that the baby was coming. I even requested a Caesarean section, but again they didn’t want to do that and kept saying I had false labour pains,” she said.
Nkosi was turned back from the hospital around 16:00, and when she was at the Nelspruit Plaza around 17:00 she said she felt so dizzy such that she was unable to walk.
“I became dizzy and felt and extreme coldness I had never felt before. Luckily my husband was nearby, so he arranged to take me back to the hospital again,” she explained.
According to Nkosi, when her husband dropped her off at the hospital at around 17:00, nurses allegedly started to make fun of her, calling her names and blaming her of being possessed by ancestral spirits while others accused her of eating ice blocks while pregnant.
Nkosi was left unattended at the waiting room and when another nurse offered her a bed to sleep, others were rude and allegedly said they would not help her as she was not admitted.
She opted to sit in the waiting room until 22:00, after which a bed was offered to her.
Around 01:00, Nkosi felt the baby was no longer making moves in her womb and she quickly asked for the nurses to check the child’s heartbeat. To her surprise, two doctors then rushed her to take a sonar and put her on oxygen.
The unborn baby was declared dead.
Nkosi carried a dead baby until she naturally gave birth the following day.
“The umbilical cord was turned around the neck of the baby girl three times, and she weighed 3,25 kilograms. They denied me a C section claiming I was only 28 weeks. I’m hurting and lost all trust in this hospital.I wish all those involved can be thoroughly punished for their negligence. Nkosi added that she reported the matter to the hospital’s CEO who promised to investigate and call her for a meeting.
“She hadn’t yet called for that meeting, and I’m eager to see this matter taken to the highest authorities,” she said.
Mr Dumisani Malamule spokesperson for the Department of Health in the province confirmed that the patient was found to be having false labour pains and strongly denied that she was neglected.
“According to the department everything was done correctly, all medical procedures were followed. If the patient was not satisfied and felt that she was not treated correctly, she should forward her complaints in writing and her matter will be attended to,” he said.
