Pregnant woman almost gives birth on hospital floor
JOBURG - A pregnant woman was almost forced to give birth on the floor at the Tembisa Hospital, some of whose patients come from Alexandra.
A pregnant woman almost had to give birth on the floor at Tembisa Hospital, which is frequented by a number of Alexandra residents recently.
This is said to have been due to a severe shortage of beds in the hospital. Democratic Alliance spokesperson on health, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, visited the hospital to assess the situation herself ,and was told by staff that there was a severe shortage of beds in the hospital’s maternity unit which handles up to 50 deliveries per day.
The staff said they were handling more than 1 500 deliveries of babies a month, which can mean up to 50 deliveries per day and, in most instances, there are often only three nurses on duty during any given shift, Nt’sekhe said.
Patients also told Nt’sekhe stories of stressed-out nursing staff, filthy ablution facilities and women in labour being forced to wait on hard wooden benches.
“These are not the hospital conditions that the people of Tembisa deserve. These are not the conditions that pregnant women who are in pain and labour deserve to wait in. These are not the conditions [in which] our children deserve to be brought into the world,” Nt’sekhe said.
Nt’sekhe said she would be writing to Gauteng Health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu, to request urgent improvements to the various facilities at the hospital, particularly its maternity ward.
She suggested that one way to ensure quality healthcare delivery at the hospital was by reopening the Kempton Park Hospital to assist with serving the greater area of Tembisa, including Alexandra.
