Indifferent staff at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital have been held liable for the death of an infant who did not receive antibiotics after she was admitted with an infection.
And Bhisho Judge Igna Stretch has slated health officials who persisted in denying their negligence to the bitter end, finding that staff at the hospital showed a disquieting indifference towards their public duty.
Babalwa Matshaya’s one-month-old daughter, Lidume, died after being admitted to CMH.
Bizarrely, lawyers for the MEC for health conceded at the start of the civil trial that hospital staff had been negligent, but denied that this negligence had caused her death.
Stretch said medical experts for both Matshaya and the department of health who gave evidence agreed the negligence caused the death.
Matshaya gave birth to Lidume on March 3 2007. A month later they returned to CMH as Lidume was suffering from dehydration.
Over a 35-hour period, a distressed Matshaya watched as her daughter’s condition deteriorated progressively, according to Stretch’s judgment in a claim for civil damages handed down earlier this month.
“ did not sleep at all. The infant remained without a drip, with no food and no medication. She frantically clutched the infant to her breast, praying for help and repeating the vows which she had taken to care properly for her newborn child. She observed that her child was dehydrated and begged the nursing staff to summons Dr Ndabeni,” Stretch said in her judgment.
“The nursing staff became angry and abusive when she pointed out that the child was deteriorating, and berated her for giving out that she knew better than they did.”
On Friday April 6, Matshaya noticed that the drip in her baby’s head was leaking and reported this to nursing staff. Matshaya also reported the leaking drip to a Dr Ndabeni at 9am on Saturday. By 11am the mother again appealed to nursing staff who removed the drip. At 4pm Dr Ndabeni took Lidume out of the ward to “re-site” the drip and when the baby returned, Matshaya noticed marks on her body where attempts had been made to re-insert the drip.
At 6am on Sunday morning, Matshaya was told the baby did not need a drip.
Two hours later, a Dr Dunga examined the child and took the infant to another room to try to insert the drip.
Lidume died shortly afterwards. She was 37 days old.
The amount of damages to be awarded must still be finalised.
Efforts to get a hold of the infant’s mother were unsuccessful yesterday, however her attorney Gordon McCune said the matter was still traumatic to his client.
Health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said he would have to study the judgment first before giving comment. — additional reporting by Vuvu Vena
Judge blasts health staff
And Bhisho Judge Igna Stretch has slated health officials who persisted in denying their negligence to the bitter end, finding that staff at the hospital showed a disquieting indifference towards their public duty.
Babalwa Matshaya’s one-month-old daughter, Lidume, died after being admitted to CMH.
Bizarrely, lawyers for the MEC for health conceded at the start of the civil trial that hospital staff had been negligent, but denied that this negligence had caused her death.
Stretch said medical experts for both Matshaya and the department of health who gave evidence agreed the negligence caused the death.
Matshaya gave birth to Lidume on March 3 2007. A month later they returned to CMH as Lidume was suffering from dehydration.
Over a 35-hour period, a distressed Matshaya watched as her daughter’s condition deteriorated progressively, according to Stretch’s judgment in a claim for civil damages handed down earlier this month.
“ did not sleep at all. The infant remained without a drip, with no food and no medication. She frantically clutched the infant to her breast, praying for help and repeating the vows which she had taken to care properly for her newborn child. She observed that her child was dehydrated and begged the nursing staff to summons Dr Ndabeni,” Stretch said in her judgment.
“The nursing staff became angry and abusive when she pointed out that the child was deteriorating, and berated her for giving out that she knew better than they did.”
On Friday April 6, Matshaya noticed that the drip in her baby’s head was leaking and reported this to nursing staff. Matshaya also reported the leaking drip to a Dr Ndabeni at 9am on Saturday. By 11am the mother again appealed to nursing staff who removed the drip. At 4pm Dr Ndabeni took Lidume out of the ward to “re-site” the drip and when the baby returned, Matshaya noticed marks on her body where attempts had been made to re-insert the drip.
At 6am on Sunday morning, Matshaya was told the baby did not need a drip.
Two hours later, a Dr Dunga examined the child and took the infant to another room to try to insert the drip.
Lidume died shortly afterwards. She was 37 days old.
The amount of damages to be awarded must still be finalised.
Efforts to get a hold of the infant’s mother were unsuccessful yesterday, however her attorney Gordon McCune said the matter was still traumatic to his client.
Health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said he would have to study the judgment first before giving comment. — additional reporting by Vuvu Vena
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