WHAT WE UNCOVERED

WHAT the Daily Dispatch investigation uncovered at Frere Hospital’s Maternity unit:

Hospital maintenance:

• A dire need for more labour ward beds.

• General renovation of the entire maternity building.

Equipment:

• Shortages of equipment in the labour wards and nurseries, which included CTGs (foetal heart monitors), incubators, CPAP machines, oxygen points, suction catheters.

Infection Control:

• Unhygienic conditions like overflowing medical waste receptacles and laundry bins.

• General assistant serving patients food wearing a blood-stained uniform.

• Grimy corridors with spots of dry blood.

• Used latex gloves in maternity lift.

• Mothers birthing and recuperating in soiled clothes.

Staffing:

• Dozens of mothers claim negligence was to blame for their babies dying.

• Critical shortages of clinical and support staff throughout maternity

• Overworked staff suffering from burnout.

• Inexperienced staff attending to labour patients.

• Consultants not doing night rounds and only available telephonically.

• Unsupervised interns manning maternity at night.

• Controversial staff rotation system – implemented by former Deputy Director of Nursing Services Lungiswa Maqaqa – responsible for general staff unhappiness.

• Cleaners delivering babies.

Record keeping:

• Abortions and Stillbirth Book erratically maintained.

• Overall record keeping problematic.

Management:

• Management failed to act on baby deaths despite admissions by staff and doctors that most were avoidable and due to lack of care.

• Complaints by nurses regarding a number of issues routinely ignored.