Image: REUTERS/ ROSEM MORTON
A young Eastern Cape mother is one of a string of women who have taken on the department in a civil negligence claim. The woman, now 22, is claiming R34m in damages. She was only 15 when her baby suffered severe brain damage during the birthing process. Her now seven-year-old suffers from a number of medical conditions including cerebral palsy, impaired vision and hearing, mental retardation, epilepsy and autism.
The woman claims that hospital staff ignored her concerns and requests for a C-section, did not respond to the difficult labour for 24 hours and did not monitor the wellbeing of the foetus. The matter is yet to be settled in court but it is probably one of the biggest — if not the biggest — medicolegal claim filed against the department.
This woman's story is not the first of its kind; nor will it be the last. A question many ask is: what happens to those healthcare workers who are accused of failing to carry out their duties to the patients under their care?
If the department does not tackle this problem at it roots, it will fester. There must be consequences for healthcare workers who fail patients when they are at their most vulnerable.