Pregnant women sleep on hospital floor

HEAVILY-pregnant and high-risk patients, some with newborn babies, have reportedly been forced to sleep on the floor and on benches at Kuruman Hospital.

This is after they were allegedly “kicked out” of the park home that used to accommodate such patients.

The park home will now reportedly be used as the emergency medical services (EMS) base.

The park home is apparently being transformed into an EMS base after the failure to renovate the old De Villiers building two years ago, which was earmarked to be used as the EMS base.

There was apparently a budget allocated to renovate the De Villiers building.

The building, however, remains abandoned and has been turned into a drug den.

The decision to “sideline” the vulnerable and pregnant women was reportedly taken after EMS members had downed tools due to poor working conditions in October last year.

Among their grievances was the absence of a work base, which saw the EMS members having to set up in cramped storerooms or in parking lots, and then having to attend to scenes in a tired state.

Northern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Lebogang Majaha gave the assurance that the EMS members’ grievances have since been resolved.

This was after the department reportedly sent a delegation to the John Taolo Gaetsewe District to do inspections.

Majaha did not provide any clarity on what happened to the budget for the renovation of the De Villiers building.

Concerns have meanwhile been raised by hospital staff members and members of the public that disadvantaged patients travel a far distance from outlying villages, only to be stripped off their dignity upon arrival at the hospital.

A call was made for the Department of Health to speedily address the issue.

Concerned staff and community members said that the women arrive at the hospital in ambulances, only to be “dumped and left to fend for themselves”.

They said there seems to be no plan in place for the mothers and the newborn babies when the maternity ward is full.

They are also apparently prohibited from sleeping in the reception area.

A staff member at the hospital said that it is “heartbreaking” to see sick and heavily-pregnant women having to spend the night on a bench or the floor while waiting for an ambulance to collect them to travel to Kimberley the next day.

“It is heartbreaking to see the discomfort they have to endure. The patients are from the scattered villages in the Ga-Segonyana Municipality and have no other choice but to sleep over at the institution,” said the staff member.

“It is heartbreaking to witness that women still have to go through this after so many years into democracy. Everyone was brought onto this Earth by a woman, but women’s rights are still being trampled on.”

A concerned relative of a patient at the hospital said he was “left speechless” after learning that his relative had to sleep on the floor of a hospital.

“She has already been through a difficult pregnancy and was relieved thinking that she had reached the end of her stressful journey. The family has been trying its best to ensure that she is as comfortable as possible at home. It’s unacceptable that she had to endure this at the hospital,” said the relative.

“This leaves us helpless because we live far from the hospital and she is at a stage where we cannot take her back home. That is why she came by ambulance.”

The Northern Cape Department of Health stated that it is trying to utilise all available resources to improve access to quality health care and in the best interest of service delivery, with patients and the health-care workforce at the centre of the health system.

Majaha said the department is currently conducting five high-risk clinics for pregnant/antenatal women in three health-care facilities within Gasegonyana Local Municipality on a weekly basis.

"If during one of the consultations at the high-risk clinics a patient with complications is identified, engagement is made with the relevant obstetrics and gynaecology unit at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) in Kimberley for referral and appointment booking.

"Consequently, a park home with amenities has been allocated and is available at Kuruman District Hospital for all female patients (preferably pregnant women) with appointment dates awaiting transportation to RMSH for high-level care.

"Additionally, there is another park home at Kuruman District Hospital that was assigned to maternity patients (without complications/not high risk) residing in the periphery of the district, to occupy once they are closer to their delivery date given the vastness of the district," said Majaha.

"Due to the park home being underutilised and subsequently used as a storeroom, a decision was made after consultations with the relevant managers to repurpose the park home for the benefit of the Gasegonyana Emergency Medical Services base and ultimately improve EMS turnaround time.”