Issued by: Gauteng Legislature
The Chair of Gauteng Legislature's Health Committee, Doctor Gwen Ramokgopa, on Friday appealed to the provincial health department to provide immediate counselling to women suffering from stillborn children.
Dr Ramokgopa made the appeal after paying a visit to the Vosloorus Community Health Services Centre on the East Rand, where 19-year-old Mpho Mokoena was allegedly refused attention when nurses discovered her baby had died before birth.
Grade 12 pupil Mokoena told a local newspaper that she had to walk more than two kilometres back home with the dead child still in her body as the clinic had refused to call an ambulance to take her to the Natalspruit Hospital.
In a statement after first-hand investigations, Dr Ramokgopa said counselling for patients immediately after they lose their babies was vital.
"Together with the Mayor of Boksburg, Councillor Eric Xayiya, and other members of the committee, we visited the site today and heard the side of management. while we believe the problem may have occurred before the patient was at the clinic, we believe strongly that she should have received immediate counselling for the traumatic experience she has been through. While it may be fact that the intra-uterine death was diagnosed a week previously at the clinic and confirmed at the hospital, it is apparent that counselling was not provided," said Dr Ramokgopa.
she added that health services needed to identify and provide counselling to those patients who suffer "intra-uterine foetal death".
"We have asked the Health Department for a full report on the incident and we have been promised that it would be available within a week," she added.
Members of the delegation, including ANC MPLs Faith Mazibuko and Sipho Makama, expressed sympathies to the patient and family.
The delegation also expressed its appreciation for the cooperation they received from clinic staff as well as the regional director of health, Mr Bheki Sibeko, who had also visited the family and offered his sympathies.
Contact Dr G Ramokgopa: 083-303-1187