KANYAMAZANE – A young woman gave birth under a tree after she was allegedly turned away from the local clinic.
Bystanders who called Mpumalanga News said they were shocked when they saw her screaming in pain giving birth in the street about 500 metres from the clinic.
Some took videos and others photos of this shocking incident of human indignity.
“This is a disgrace, especially to us as women. Something needs to be done to correct the situation. Our government is failing us and that means the poor will suffer like this because they can’t afford to pay for expensive medical treatment at private hospitals,” said a bystander who alerted this paper about this incident.
Mpumalanga News immediately tracked down this brave woman and learnt that she was initially turned away by the Pienaar-based Ziweni Clinic where she had undergone her prenatal check-ups.
“The clinic told me to go somewhere else, because it didn’t have water or the resources required to handle births.
“I then came here (KaNyamazane Clinic), where the nurse examined me and then referred me to the Rob Ferreira Hospital.
“But as I left I felt the labour pains and I knew I had no other choice but to give birth in the street. Fortunately, my grandmother helped me deliver the baby and that is when other people called for help from the clinic,” she said.
She gave birth to a healthy little boy, whom she has not yet named.
There has been an outcry over the lack of decent services in most public health-care institutions with government doing very little to address these problems.
Some of these facilities are old and dilapidated yet the authorities maintain that all is in order in health care. People are, however, still subjected to long hours of waiting in queues and the bad attitude of staff members who continue to treat the sick as if they are the enemy.
When approached for comment, spokesperson for the health department, Mr Ronny Masilela said, “Yes we are aware of the incident. We were informed immediately after its occurrence and we (led by the MEC, Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini) rushed to the clinic to obtain first-hand information and reasons that led to it.
“We were highly disturbed by the event and we are verifying with speed all information given to us regarding it. Serious and unpopular actions may be taken here.
“We cannot subject people to inhuman conditions.”
