The day Oratile died: Paediatrician Beale ‘robbed’ a mother of her baby

Michelle Seleke didn’t know she was pregnant with her first child until she was almost three months along.

She had been experiencing stomach trouble and went to the doctor expecting a script for an antibiotic, but left with the news that she was expecting.

“I was excited,” Seleke recalled the moment when she found out. And this excitement only grew as her pregnancy progressed.

She decided to name her baby girl Oratile. Seleke’s pregnancy continued without incident, and on 19 March 2013, she gave birth.

Immediately after she was born, Oratile’s grandmother noticed a lump on her throat.

Seleke was living in Mafikeng at the time but her sister-in-law recommended a paediatrician in Morningside, Johannesburg, so they made an appointment and booked into a local bed and breakfast.

Referred to paediatrician Beale

The examination took several hours, and eventually, she was referred on to Professor Beale, who admitted Oratile immediately.

She said the conclusion was that Oratile had an undeveloped vessel that had to be removed.

On the day of the surgery, she saw Oratile off and was then advised by the nursing staff to go and get some rest as the surgery would take a few hours.

On life support after Beale operated

Less than an hour later, though, she was called back. She arrived to find her daughter on life support.

A nurse explained something had gone wrong while a camera was inserted in her throat.

After her life support was switched off, Oratile’s body was sent to Hillbrow Mortuary for a post-mortem.

Eventually, after almost a week, her family was advised her body could be released.

But it wasn’t until last year that they managed to get the post-mortem report, after police initially gave them the wrong case number – linked to a hijacking.

The post-mortem report identified Oratile’s cause of death as “cystic hygroma with cervical oedema and airway compression (bronchoscopy performed)”.

‘Robbed of my baby’

Seleke lodged a complaint with the HPCSA [Health Professionals Council of South Africa] in September and was interviewed by an official.

However, when she followed up she was told there was no record of her complaint.

Seleke now has two sons but believes Beale robbed her of her chance to have a daughter.

“It haunts me that I was robbed of my baby”, she said.

Neither Beale nor the HPCSA commented on case specifics.

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