Department denies mom died after ambulance delay

The Eastern Cape health department yesterday rejected claims that an ambulance had delayed attending to an incident where a Peddie woman died shortly after giving birth on Saturday morning.

This is disputed by the woman’s mother Joyce Bhudaza, who told the Daily Dispatch that she had repeatedly called an ambulance shortly after 3am when she found her daughter Zanele bleeding with a newborn on her bed.

Bhudaza said no one answered the phone until it was too late. Zanele died before the ambulance arrived, but her newborn son survived.

In disputing the claim, health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said: “The department wishes to reject claims that a Peddie pregnant woman may have died due to ambulance delays.”

Kupelo said the ambulance responded minutes after receiving the call. He said the call was logged at 5.36am on the day in question.

“An ambulance was dispatched at 5.54am and it arrived at 6.18am. We reject any suggestions that the deceased died due to a delayed response by the ambulance.”

Kupelo, however, said the department had acted against two ambulance officials who arrived at the scene and did not conduct a necessary assessment and take the newborn baby to a hospital.

“We are further investigating reports that the deceased had not attended antenatal care during her pregnancy. Her death is being classified as maternal and is being handled as such.”

Kupelo said health MEC Dr Pumza Dyantyi had instructed the department to finalise internal disciplinary processes against the officials involved within the stipulated period in terms of the Labour Relations Act. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za