‘One doctor, one nurse for 40 pregnant women’

The Democratic Alliance has called on North West health MEC Dr Magome Masike to address the shortage of staff at the provincial hospitals and clinics.

This comes after it emerged that there was only one doctor and one nurse responsible for about 40 pregnant women at the Mahikeng provincial hospital.

“The DA conducted an oversight inspection to the Mahikeng provincial hospital yesterday after reports surfaced that only one doctor and one nurse were responsible for the care of nearly 40 pregnant women last Wednesday. During this emergency, the hospital was compelled to call in private ambulances to alleviate the pressure from the two staff members,” said DA North West health spokesperson Dr Tutu Faleni.

He said the influx of pregnant women to the hospital was due to clinics around Mahikeng being closed because of a shortage of security guards.

“The department of health confirmed that a substantial amount of money was owed to the current service provider, Tsireletso Security Company. Security staff explained challenges like access control and budget constraints are the main obstacle to upgrading the security in and around the hospital premises. We, therefore, demand that the security audit report that was compiled by the department be tabled,” Faleni said.

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