KNYSNA NEWS - Frustrated locals have voiced their grievances with Knysna Provincial Hospital's maternity ward, with some alluding to claims of inadequacy.
A certain Ms Geelbooi (she did not want supply her first name) from Plett, said she recently had to give birth at the hospital on her own and that her baby is epileptic and nonresponsive. "My baby doesn't cry and I blame the hospital for this."
A very shy Andiswa Ndesi said she almost suffered the same fate. "The nurse told me I don't look like I'm in labour because I was too calm and her conclusion was purely based on my facial expressions. I am in a wheelchair and wheeled myself in. A few minutes later I gave birth to my baby – imagine if I went home."
'Stitched up with scissors inside'
Another, who only introduced herself as Nomsa, said, "I had a Cesarean section in 2004 and to this day I don't know how it happened but the nurse left a pair of scissors inside and I had to be operated on again."
Recently Ileano Petersen visited the hospital with his two months pregnant fiancé and expressed his sentiments in no uncertain terms on the Knysna-Plett Herald Facebook page on 19 June, about the way the hospital attended to them. "I'm currently sitting at the Knysna Provincial Hospital in total disgust for how some staff including security have treated us," he wrote.
"I'm here with my fiance and we're expecting our first child. We are in the second month of pregnancy which I've been told is the most critical, but on arrival the nurse on duty didn't even bother to introduce herself nor did she bother to find out what the reason for our visit was. She was playing on her cellphone when we went in to do the observation and had the least bit of interest towards us."
'Total disregard for humanity'
He said his fiancé was experiencing stomach pain for three hours prior to their visit and that they had no other alternative. "The security (staff) who removed me from waiting with her said it's hospital procedure but conveniently left the rest of the people… To me the total disregard for humanity and understanding defeats the purpose of coming here. I had to convince my fiancé that we needed to stay and get help as we didn't know why she was experiencing so much pain.
"Why are we being subjected to such treatment in a place that offers help to people? I can't risk not waiting, so conflicted, when all we need is help from the medical professionals, who we didn't speak to."
A mother who gave birth on 9 March this year said her baby was bleeding on the sole of his foot, and when she told the nurses at the hospital they brushed aside her concerns before later discharging both of them. She said by four days later her son had bruises all over his body, was still bleeding and ended up with a drip. "We were then transferred to George Provincial Hospital.
'The nurse was mad at me'
One woman said she gave birth on her own 25 years ago. "That was my first baby. The nurse who broke my water left me there and said when I'm done urinating I must call her. Minutes later I pushed my baby to life and when she got there, she was mad at me and showed me how much when she stitched me roughly."
Another said the hospital sent her home when she was ready to give birth to her now 18-year-old daughter because they didn't believe she was in labour.
"I sat in the waiting area and I could feel my baby coming and the nurse who was attending to me threw me to the ground and helped deliver my baby. After giving birth my baby had problems breathing and she was later diagnosed as asthmatic. I can't help but trace everything back to that day."
A more recent event of a person that was sent back home by the hospital happened last year on 23 October and resulted in the young mother giving birth to her baby girl in a veldt close to Thembelitsha Primary School.
'Sent home, to give birth in veldt'
The first-time mom said she went to the hospital when she started feeling the contractions but was sent home, resulting in her giving birth in the veldt on her way home a few hours later.
She was helped by community members to deliver the baby, an experience she calls hard. She said her baby had difficulty breathing after she was born. This mother said she suffered enough embarrassment from the experience and wishes to remain anonymous. The hospital was sent questions shortly after the incident to which spokesperson Nadia Ferreira replied,
"We have investigated the incident and found that staff followed the correct procedures as the patient was not in active labour. The patient was fully examined at 21:30 on 17 October and all her vital signs were normal with no dilation of the cervix." She said labour signs were explained to the patient to assist her in knowing when to come to the hospital again before being discharged. Labour in this case started after the visit to the hospital and progressed very quickly thereafter.
"Although we would have wanted our client to give birth in hospital, we are glad to hear that mother and baby are doing well," concluded her reply.
The Knysna-Plett Herald asked the hospital for comment on the allegations in this article more than a week ago, which was not received by the time of going to print.
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