Hospital in dark about twins’ birth
|Published
A Soshanguve woman in her twenties now appears to have lied after she recently called her boyfriend in tears saying nurses from George Mukhari Hospital, ward 24, had stolen her twin babies. Photo: Etienne Creux A Soshanguve woman in her twenties now appears to have lied after she recently called her boyfriend in tears saying nurses from George Mukhari Hospital, ward 24, had stolen her twin babies. Photo: Etienne Creux
Johannesburg - A woman claims her twins were stolen from a public hospital last week - but health officials can find no record showing either she or her twins were ever there.
Last week, The Star reported the story of Helen Pheladi Magaba, who said she gave birth to twins at Dr George Mukhari Hospital on August 25.
A family spokeswoman, Ngwanabokone Maleswene, said Magaba’s stay at the hospital was extended because one of the babies had health problems.
On the day Magaba was to be discharged, two nurses allegedly took the babies for a final check-up. Two hours later, it was discovered the babies were gone. That was on September 10.
The provincial health department says it has no records of Magaba giving birth at George Mukhari or even being admitted there.
“Registers in the maternity, admission, the obstetrics and gynaecology wards were checked and revealed no record of the patient being admitted to the hospital,” spokesman Simon Zwane said.
“Records in the neonatal ward, the lodger mother ward, the kangaroo mother-care unit and the security log book from the alleged date of delivery to the date of discharge have indicated that no such patient of twin babies was at the hospital or discharged.”
The department said the family has failed to help with the investigation, refusing to give a statement and failing to arrive at a meeting with hospital management.
Maleswene failed to answer repeated phone calls on Sunday.
The Star