Allegations of serious negligence by three state hospitals in Mpumalanga, which reportedly resulted in the death of a young mother, must urgently be investigated.
If the allegations are true, Mpumalanga’s MEC for Health, Ms Sasekani Manzini, must accept full responsibility for the events.
The 22-year-old Marisca van der Merwe died after she presumably contracted septicaemia in the Bethal State Hospital.
In December 2022, she had a C-section in this Hospital in the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality and gave birth to a little girl.
After the operation, her family voiced their concerns about the fact that her wound started looking septic. The nursing staff cleaned the wound with salt water and administered antibiotics.
According to her family, she experienced severe abdominal pain and felt sick for weeks after the operation.
She was rushed to the Evander State Hospital at the beginning of March, where she was apparently turned away and told to go to a clinic.
On 6 March, she was taken to the Witbank Hospital (in the Emalahleni Local Municipality) after complaining about being unable to breathe.
This Hospital was visibly filthy, according to the family, with human remains and blood in the corridors and on beds. She went back home after she had received no medical treatment after several hours.
Last week, she was rushed to the Witbank Hospital again and was admitted. She died shortly after being admitted.
The FF Plus has requested an urgent meeting with the MEC and will ask for a comprehensive report on the competence of the hospital staff in all three these hospitals.
The terrible condition of the country’s state hospitals is no secret, and if the allegations prove to the true, Ms Manzini must accept full responsibility for Ms Van der Merwe’s death.
The MEC will be given fourteen days to compile and issue the report. The FF Plus will keep putting pressure on the MEC. Her department is terminally ill.
The FF Plus will keep a very close eye on the matter, and investigate it further to ensure that the relevant officials are held accountable.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Werner Weber on FF Plus
