Woman gives birth in front of Burgersfort Clinic
BURGERSFORT
Videos of a young woman giving birth at the gates of the Burgersfort Clinic went viral on Tuesday.
The lady was assisted by one of the hawkers, Gladys Mokgotho in giving birth. Mokgotho was hailed as a heroine after assisting the young mother deliver a healthy baby boy.
According to the young mother’s family, they arrived at the clinic at about 06:45 on October 11.
“On our arrival we told the security guards that we had an emergency and pleaded with them to open the gates for us and to allow us to enter the yard. Unfortunately, the guards, along with the nurses denied us access and told us the clinic opens at 07:00. We were left with no option but to queue outside, next to the gates,” said the victim’s mother.
“While on the queue, she experienced labour pains. We asked help from some of the nurses who had already arrived at the clinic,” said the family.
They added, “To our surprise, the nurse shouted at us, and told everyone the clinic opens at 07:00.”
One of the nurses was caught on video shouting, “labour pains, don’t just start, she knew all along about her time of giving birth. Labour pains are not an emergency”. The young lady successfully gave birth, with the assistance of Mokgotho. After giving birth, the two were examined in the clinic.
The situation angered community members with EFF Sekhukhune region visiting the clinic and demanding the nurse caught on video be suspended.
The Limpopo Department of Health spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said they are busy with investigations on the matter.
“We have sent a team to investigate an incident of a woman who is alleged to have delivered a baby at the gate of the Burgersfort Clinic. There is also a video depicting community members who are supposedly waiting for the clinic to open at 7:00. The department calls on community members in the area to be calm while giving the investigation process a chance.”
Shikwambana said the Burgersfort Clinic is now a day clinic, though it used to operate 24 hours.
“The clinic has since stopped operating 24 hours two years ago because of high criminal elements who were threatening nurses during night shifts.
While the department is working with the community and government stakeholders such as SAPS to solve the crime issues, community members are still advised to utilize nearby clinics for night emergencies.”
He advised pregnant women not to wait until they are about to deliver before visiting a health facility.
“It takes between 8 and 16 hours for a woman to deliver a child from the moment of feeling the labour pains, depending on the number of children a woman has already delivered. In this case, it is alleged that the woman delivered after only 15 minutes of arrival at the gate of the facility.”
He added, “The department wishes to encourage pregnant women to visit health facilities for antenatal consultations during pregnancy because it is during these sessions that they are made aware of facilities they can deliver at in line with the department’s maternal health standards.”
