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News24 reports that the North West Department of Health has placed the "Nursing Manager" of the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital's (MPH) neonatal section under precautionary suspension after newborn babies were placed in cardboard boxes at the hospital.
According to the department, the manager had failed to report that the section had to place newborn babies in the boxes due to a lack of resources at the hospital. The incident came to light after a photo posted on Facebook went viral showing babies in brown cardboard boxes, and wrapped in purple hospital blankets, with nasogastric tubes. An investigation revealed that the photo was from MPH and had been taken on Saturday at around 11:00. On that day, 56 babies were delivered in the ward, but only 16 incubators and 31 cribs were available. MEC Madoda Sambatha said he had since instructed management to find extra incubators and cribs for the hospital from the available ones in the province. The MEC has also set up a task team to investigate the entire nursing division at the hospital. "The MPH management will activate a redress process with the affected families. The process of what will happened from precautionary suspension will be determined by relevant labour relations processes," the department indicated.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cebelihle Mthethwa at News24
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