Postpartum horror for new mother in Sabie

An allegedly severe lapse in medical care has resulted in a disastrous experience for a first-time mother.
Jezelle Amon (19) gave birth to healthy baby girl in the Sabie Provincial Hospital on June 21 following a natural delivery. She went back to the hospital for her third-day check-up, and the nursing staff assured her that everything was in order.

However, according to her mother, Magnesia Mnisi (35), Amon began to experience pain and discomfort in her abdominal region, along with a foul-smelling brown discharge shortly after the check-up.
“She would sleep the whole day. She said that was the only time she did not experience pain, irritation and throbbing. I started to suspect something was severely wrong. She went through a packet of sanitary pads in a day on account of the drainage from her vagina. That is not normal,” Mnisi said.

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The pain and smell became so severe, and after experiencing worsening symptoms, Amon sought help at Lydenburg’s Ekupileni Clinic on Monday, August 19. The clinic is situated on the grounds of Lydenburg Provincial Hospital.
The nursing staff there decided to do a smear to determine the cause of the pain, discomfort and oozing excretion, yet no one was prepared for what they would find once prepping begun.

To their horror, they discovered that a postpartum diaper had been lodged in Amon’s vaginal cavity for more than a month. They immediately removed it.
According to Mnisi, the smell of the blood-drenched diaper was so putrid that the nursing staff had to clean the area twice in their attempts to get rid of the stench.

Typically, postpartum diapers are worn for the first few days to a week after delivery, when bleeding is at its heaviest. How the diaper ended up inside Amon is unknown.
She was admitted to hospital the same day for further examination to assess potential damage to her womb and overall health.
“There was already damage done. They now have to determine to which extent, and whether it would be necessary to remove her womb and tend to any other injuries and damage caused by the diaper,” Mnisi said.

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Amon’s health remains under close monitoring in the Lydenburg Provincial Hospital.
Mnisi has condemned what she insists is Sabie Provincial Hospital’s negligence, emphasising the emotional and physical trauma her daughter has endured. “This is inexcusable,” Mnisi stated. “My daughter trusted the hospital staff to provide safe care, and instead, she suffered immensely due to their oversight.”

According to her, the emotional and psychological impact of the incident on her daughter is profound, necessitating counselling to help her cope with the trauma.
Mnisi said she would be making her way to Sabie Hospital on Tuesday, August 20, diaper in hand, to try and find an explanation for the ordeal suffered by her daughter. “I am livid about what had happened. This needs to stop. This ends here. It ends with my daughter,” Mnisi told the newspaper.

She is now calling for a thorough investigation into the incident and demanding accountability from the Sabie Provincial Hospital to prevent such occurrences in the future.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News sent queries regarding the incident to the Sabie Provincial Hospital and the Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH).

The DoH’s communications office responded to the alleged misconduct of the Sabie Hospital in a statement citing: “The department acknowledges the receipt of the complaint. We can confirmed that the patient gave birth in Sabie hospital on the June 21.”

According to the DoH, the patient’s family went to Sabie hospital on August 21 to bring the matter to their attention. “The hospital immediately redressed the family and offered the opportunity to lodge a formal complaint.

“The family was given a departmental form to complete and promised to email it back. An investigation will take place as soon as we receive the formal complaint. The Sabie Provincial Hospital can confirm the patient did not return three days post delivery for postpartum care nor did she visit the hospital for her six week check-up after her discharge on June 22. According to our records we have not seen the patient since her discharge.”