New mothers forced to sleep on floor at hospital
Young mothers are forced to sleep on the floor with their newborns after an ailing Letaba Hospital in Tzaneen has failed to repair broken beds
LIMPOPO – According to an inside source, the maternity ward has eight beds, some of which are broken.
On many occasions, the hospital admits more mothers than its capacity can handle, leading to new mothers having to sleep on the floor. At times, about 19 patients are admitted to this ward.
Limpopo DA chairperson, Langa Bodlani (MPL) said they wanted to file an urgent complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to probe the situation at Letaba Hospital.
They learned of the situation through a concerned staff member, Langa said.
“This situation is in sharp contrast to our constitutional provision that every child has the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care and social services, and that a child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child. Clearly, these provisions are not taken seriously by the provincial health department,” he said.
“The situation at Letaba Hospital is compounded by the fact that the feeder clinics such as Nkowankowa Clinic do not operate on a 24-hour basis. Furthermore, the maternity ward at the nearby Van Velden Hospital, about 20km away, which would have mitigated Letaba’s situation, has been under renovation for many years.
“What is difficult to comprehend is that there is a new fully equipped maternity ward at this hospital which is not being used at all when there is dire need to accommodate maternity patients. I will report the matter to the SAHRC and ask for an urgent probe into the quality of the Letaba Hospital healthcare, as the hospital violates the rights of new born babies and their mothers,” said Langa.
Provincial department of health spokesperson, Derrick Kganyago, said there was a huge influx of pregnant mothers at the Letaba Hospital due to the renovation of the Van Velden Hospital maternity wards.
“We advised people to use Letaba and Kgapane Hospitals and people went to Letaba as it is closer to the Van Velden Hospital. Part of the Van Velden Hospital was temporarily closed and the contractor promised to complete the renovations this week,” he said.
