Johannesburg- A Mpumalanga woman who allegedly delivered a baby without the help of nurses has accused the Department of Health of dragging its feet in probing the incident.
Veronica Zwane, 29, from Belfast near Kruger National Park, said she registered a complaint with the management of Matikwana Hospital on November 17, where the alleged mistreatment happened.
Zwane was told that the investigation would be concluded within 21 days.
“After the painful ordeal that I endured at that hospital, I wrote a Facebook post detailing my horrific experience,” Zwane said this week.
An official from the department later phoned Zwane to help her report the nurses to the management of the hospital. This, according to the official, was the instruction from the Mpumalanga health MEC, Sasekani Manzini.
“I went to the facility and met the management who promised to investigate. The deadline for their investigation has lapsed,” said Zwane.
“I think these people do not take me seriously because I am poor. If they were dealing with a rich person, the matter would have been resolved already. The nurses who abused me are still working at the hospital.”
In a letter seen by Sunday World, the hospital confirmed that it was still investigating.
Zwane’s horrific experience started on September 5, at about 11am, when she went to the hospital to give birth to her third child.
On arrival, the nurses reportedly refused to attend to her because she was wearing leggings instead of a dress.
After begging for their assistance, she was allegedly told that she “sounded too educated and very knowledgeable in a way that she could deliver the baby by herself without any assistance”, she said.
“I begged them, the baby was already coming, but no one was willing to assist me,” she said, adding that the nurses ordered her to the toilet to change the leggings and wear an oversized dress. This when they realised that the head of the baby was peeping through.
“When I returned from the toilet, a nurse instructed me to a room where I could be assisted. When I got there, I found a woman waiting for me but she refused to assist me, saying she had not been informed about me.
“She stood there as I screamed for help, and watched me give birth. When I was done, she came and cut the umbilical cord and told me to clean my blood and other dirt that was there.”
Despite all the difficulties she went through, she said her baby girl is doing well.
Many women have since shared similar experiences at the same hospital’s labour ward.
Responding to Zwane’s ordeal, Nompilo Mabhengu posted on Facebook: “A similar situation happened to me on July 12 2012. I started feeling labour pains and they [her family] took me to that hospital. When I got there, the very same nurse you [Zwane] mentioned was one of the people who ill-treated me.
“As I was suffering from labour pains, the nurse assaulted me, saying why I did not go to the health facilities near my home. I then decided to phone my family to fetch me from the hospital. I left the hospital without giving birth.
“I hate that hospital.”
Another Facebook user named Denise Denise wrote: “I also cleaned my blood in 2006.”
Mpumalanga department of health spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said: “The patient’s allegations were laid via Facebook, not directly with the hospital until the hospital asked her to register a formal complaint. The investigation is still underway.”
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