MEC of Health in the North West, Madoda Sambatha, has accused the management at the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital of negligence.
This as his department’s investigation into why newborns were placed in boxes instead of incubators or cribs at the hospital.
Pictures of the babies in brown boxes have been trending on social media, sparking outrage over the state of public health in the province.
MEC Sambatha says the government expects the investigation to conclude soon.
“In actual fact, they are the only hospital that takes a year to procure incubators and cribs. There is no hospital that does that in the province, and there will be no hospital that does that in South Africa. It is an element where their actions do not reflect urgency on matters that are needed, but not only that; if they knew that they had 47 cribs and incubators, they would have never pushed through 56 mothers to deliver babies.”
Reaction to images of newborn babies in brown boxes at Mahikeng Hospital: Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa
