By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) says nurses are not responsible for the newborn babies who were placed in cardboard boxes instead of incubators.
The North West health department announced it was investigating why the babies had been placed in cardboard boxes in the hospital’s neonatal section and action would be taken against those responsible.
Denosa spokesperson Mzwakhe Seleke says the nurses at the hospital have been vocal about the lack of resources.
“If there is anyone to be suspended it is the CEO and the Corporate Service Manager because on the day the nurses reported to the relevant people about the plight and the pressures, they were facing in the ward that day”.
“That ward is a 25 bedded ward but that day they had 56 patients in the ward and only seven nurses to care for them. It’s highly unfair and not possible that those nurses could have issued the highest degree of nursing care, which they tried their best to do.”
Seleke said the nurses had to improvise while waiting for management to sort out the cribs and incubator shortages and they will continue to communicate with the Department of Health to try find a solution to the issue of lack of resources.
North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha expressed shock after images emerged on social media showing newborn babies in the hospital’s neonatal section sleeping in cardboard boxes instead of incubators or crib beds.
Sambatha effectively threw nurses under the bus over a scandal, saying there are 47 cribs at Mahikeng Hospital.
But, during the weekend in question, 56 babies were born. “These four were placed in cardboard boxes, and no one reported them to doctors and management. It happened on a Saturday and was only reported on Thursday, “said Sambatha.
“Why did the nurses take so long to report it?” asked Sambatha. “We not looking to fault nurses, but why would it not have been reported?”
He further highlighted that other protocols were not followed. For instance, the hospital could have discharged mothers and babies that were doing well in their checkups to make space. The hospital could have also procured spare cribs and incubators from other facilities in the district and province when they realised they had reached capacity.
The MEC said all 56 babies born that weekend were healthy and delivered “properly”.
“Nothing was wrong except the humiliating aspect of the cardboard boxes,” he said.
Sambatha said arrangements were being made to send additional cribs to the hospital and that an investigation into the matter would be launched.
The only investigation that is needed is why it has taken this long for the procurement of these essential incubators and cribs when indications of their urgent need was made a long time ago, added Denosa.