COMMUNITY leaders are calling for a full investigation into staff at Wentworth Hospital after a woman allegedly gave birth on the grass outside the hospital’s Accident and Emergency area, in full view of patients and visitors.
Image: Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/Africa News Agency(ANA)
COMMUNITY leaders are calling for a full investigation into staff at Wentworth Hospital after a woman allegedly gave birth on the grass outside the hospital’s Accident and Emergency area, in full view of patients and visitors.
The woman, who had been dropped off by an e-hailing driver at the hospital on Saturday, had allegedly been in distress and screamed for help, telling staff at the hospital that she felt she was about to deliver the baby.
“She asked for help… not luxury, and not special treatment… just basic medical care. Instead of being assisted immediately, she was denied medical care. She was told by the nursing staff to fetch a wheelchair and wait,” claimed Olivia Stuart-Jones, a community leader in Wentworth.
She alleged moments later, while trying to put her shoes on, the woman gave birth on the grass.
“The woman gave birth on the grass without medical support, dignity, or care, while staff stood by and failed to act. I am in absolute anger, shock, and deep disappointment regarding what unfolded.
“This is not just negligence. This is inhumane, unacceptable, and a complete failure of duty. That area is not even a properly functioning Accident and Emergency yet patients are expected to rely on it in emergencies.
“That failure was exposed in the most traumatic way possible, not only for the mother and newborn, but for every person who witnessed it. What message does this send about the hospital’s standards of care, compassion, and responsibility as healthcare providers?
“We demand action,” she added.
Stuart-Jones said they called for an immediate investigation and accountability from the staff involved.
“We need clear and corrective action to ensure this never happens again. No woman should ever be forced to give birth on the ground outside a hospital while pleading for help. The hospital staff need to do better. They have failed both the baby and the woman completely,” she added.
Eyewitness
Wentworth resident Wendy Connor, 58, said she arrived at hospital at the same time as the woman.
She claimed the woman was highly distressed and her screams for help were ignored.
“I arrived at the hospital with my husband, who was cut on his leg and bleeding profusely, just before 4pm on Saturday.
“The woman had arrived at the same time as us. The driver of the e-hailing service dropped her off at the entrance of the hospital and the security guard spoke to her. She was in distress and she told the security guard that she feels like the baby was coming.
“She asked for them to direct her to the emergency. The security guard looked for a wheelchair but there was none available.
“She followed him as he looked for a wheelchair and suddenly stopped and screamed. I looked at her in shock as my husband was getting his files.
“My husband was already in a wheelchair in the emergency room when the lady got there with the security guard. The guard informed the nurse that the woman was in distress and she was about to give birth.
“The nurses did not bother to come outside to see her. They turned the woman away and told her that she needed to go to MOPD (medical out-patient department) or to the maternity department,” Connor claimed.
She said the woman was unfamiliar with the hospital and had to try to make her way to the relevant departments on foot while she was in labour.
“The woman then bent forward to tie her shoelace and we were shocked when the baby fell out of her. She just screamed in horror. We saw the baby flip as he fell onto the grass. The woman tried to grab the baby but it happened so fast. The umbilical cord broke when the baby hit the ground.
“If the baby fell onto concrete, it could have been fatal. It was only when the woman screamed and everyone around her started screaming that the medical staff came rushing out of the hospital,” she added.
Connor said the incident had left her and other patients traumatised.
“I was dumbfounded. My husband was bleeding out while I watched this woman helplessly. The hospital was busy, and the woman gave birth in front of young children and men.
“When we complained about how the woman was treated, staff asked us for photographs or videos as proof of what we were saying. I had my phone in my hand, but I did not think to take a video or photograph of the woman. I put myself in her shoes, and I have a daughter of my own who just gave birth two months ago.
“I would not want someone to film her and circulate the video if this had happened to her. The patients who witnessed the incident were angry.
“The worst part of it was how they handled the baby after the birth. One nurse picked up the baby with her bare hands, and no gloves, towel, or sheet.
“She held the baby and ran through the casualty department where there could have been diseases and germs lurking from the sick patients.
“When the nurse ran past me and I heard the baby cry, I was relieved as I knew that the baby had survived,” she added.
Connor said the patients demanded that an investigation into the conduct of staff at the hospital be conducted.
She said they also called for a public apology to the woman and patients who witnessed the incident.
The KZN Department of Health did not comment at the time of publication.