Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Hendriëtte van Huyssteen
The DA has laid a complaint with the Human Rights Commission in North West regarding a 10-month-old baby girl who died in Ganyesa Hospital on the 27th of August this year.
The baby was admitted to hospital with pneumonia; however, she developed pericardial effusion, a life-threatening condition. Despite the child’s deteriorating health, the hospital allegedly refused to transfer the child to a facility equipped to treat her condition, such as Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Gauteng.
Despite the parents’ desperate pleas, they were given vague and inconsistent responses from the hospital, including a disturbing comment by a doctor who allegedly said to the infant’s mother, “Brace yourself because there’s no way of knowing what to do.”
The DA also wrote to the MEC of Health, Sello Lehari, on the 26th of August, requesting him to urgently intervene and to ensure the transfer of the infant to a facility equipped to treat her, as well as an investigation into the hospital’s behaviour. To date MEC Lehari has not responded nor reacted in any way.
More disturbingly, after the child’s death, the hospital held a meeting with the parents during which they allegedly offered to pay for the funeral; however, the parents refused. The gesture by the hospital raises more questions.
If the child had been transported when her health deteriorated, she could still be alive.
Our health officials have a duty to maintain the highest standards of care and respect with patients and their families. We will continue to stand up for patient care and hold public entities accountable.
South Africans have a right to appropriate health care, and this right should never be dulled by bureaucratic delays and inattention.
This is not only about one child; it’s about safeguarding the rights of all vulnerable patients and regaining public trust in our health professionals. We need to empathise and make choices that serve the weakest among us.