Lawyers representing a woman whose baby died moments after she had given birth at the Sebokeng Hospital, says they plan to sue the Gauteng Department of Health for alleged negligence. They also want to pursue criminal charges and report hospital officials to the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
Nokwanda Mokoena alleges that staff ignored her cries while she was in labour, even at the point where the baby’s head crowned. She believes that her baby would still be alive if the staff at the Sebokeng Hospital did not ignore her, while she was giving birth.
Mokoena says last month, after waiting for about five hours for a bed, doctors informed her that she was ready to deliver her baby, but she says strangely doctors were often nowhere to be found.
Mokoena says this incident is concerning.
“Even if they decided that my child would not live, they could have given my child a fighting chance. At least, I would have said that they fought for my child, but they left me and my child died before my eyes. They have broken me. It breaks me, because when I am sitting with people during the day I am okay, but at night it is hard.”
Mokoena says she wants answers.
“I want justice. I want to fight. That will not bring back my child, but that is what will probably console my heart. I fought for my child to be alive, but they did not give my child a fighting chance. That is why I am going to fight.”
Mokoena says they intend to pursue ligitation.
“We intend on pursuing litigation against the Department of Health for negligence. We are still going to deliberate on the action. It is important to note that we also intend on approaching the SAPS to investigate the matter, because the child was born crying but due to negligence, as she explains, her child did not survive. We understand that there was negligence on the part of the doctors who were attending her, so we also plan to bring a complaint to the HPCSA. This is not a matter that we must take lying down,” said Tony Mathe, who is Mokoena’s lawyer.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng health department says its quality assurance department needs to conduct a thorough investigation.
VIDEO: Woman’s baby dies at Sebokeng Hospital; lawyers sue for negligence
