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Incubated baby in the maternity ward at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, which doctors say is in crisis. Photo: Paballo Thekiso
Several newborn babies have died while others have been left brain damaged at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital’s labour ward because of a staffing crisis, according to doctors.
At least two of the deaths were described as avoidable stillbirths.
The staffing crisis is linked to, among others, the non-payment of nursing agencies.
It has now emerged that the details of the deaths were what prompted Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to urgently intervene and dispatch five defence force theatre nurses to Bara’s busy maternity ward last month.
An internal letter leaked to Health-e from the head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Bara, Dr Eckhart Buchmann, to the academic head of Wits University’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr Franco Guidozzi, reveals that the shortage of midwives and maternity staff became apparent in early November, precipitated by the non-payment of the Khalipha Agency by the Gauteng Department of Health.
“Hospital management, including the head of nursing services, were aware of the problem, but seemed unable to resolve it,” the clinician wrote in the letter, dated January 23.
According to the letter, the department eventually paid its outstanding fees in late December, but there was no increase in labour ward and nursing staff.
“The first two weeks of January were marked by increasing associated morbidity and mortality, with two avoidable stillbirths.
“The theatre queues became increasingly long, and from January 9 to 11 the hospital transferred 16 women out for caesarean sections at other hospitals,” Buchmann wrote, adding that the addition of the defence force staff did not reduce the shortage of theatre space.
The correspondence details how the shortage of midwives and overcrowding saw women being in labour for excessively long periods, resulting in health workers missing foetal distress and babies suffering hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain).
The doctors also revealed that, due to staff shortages and resultant delays in caesarean sections, a number of babies who needed urgent deliveries died or were born asphyxiated, resulting in brain damage.
Bara CEO Johanna More denied she was informed of these incidents or deaths and that they could be linked to the staff shortages.
“I need to ask what these doctors were doing when the babies died. Maybe it is time for us to investigate the private practices of some of these doctors. What have they been doing to help me?”
She said Bara delivered between 900 and 1 200 babies a month, and accused the doctors of being happy to have women deliver on hospital benches before she took the reins three years ago.
“Where were they when these babies were dying? Where are these consultants? Spending time in conferences,” More said. “If the gloves are now off, so be it.”
Doctors also reported that labour ward beds stayed wet and dirty for extended periods, even resulting in maggots breeding in the blood-soaked mattresses.
Staff who worked under these conditions reported severe psychological stress, forcing them to deliver a “dysfunctional and unsafe service to users”.
The national health department said on Wednesday: “There are huge problems at Chris Hani. There are huge problems at the maternity unit,”
Spokesman Fidel Hadebe said he could not “categorise” these issues, but said the national and provincial health departments were talking with the hospital to resolve staff shortages”.
“That's why nurses from (the SA National Defence Force) were deployed a few weeks ago to help out at the hospital.” - Health-e News Service and Sapa
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zale, wrote
enjoy the anc services and when the anc implements NHI people will be dieing in the streets as the hospital doors will be closed
Busisiwe Nhlapo, wrote
jah Bragwanath staff is full of nonsense, me too my baby was burnt by a drip on the forehead while she was admitted at Bara in 2010 even today they havent done anything b]about that and now im thinking of taking legal actions and i need help
Damon Lynch, wrote
I recently got to experience the terrible attitudes of nursing staff as well as the disgusting state that Bara is in. My wife was rushed off to Bara as she was having seisures and was 2cm dialated. Our baby was a prem baby to top it all off. The state of the labour ward is filthy to say the least. The bed my wife was on stank so badly of decay it was not funny, there was dried blood on the bed frames as well as what looked like body fat. There was a bucket under her bed which was half full with blood and swabs and alsorts. THis was left like that for the entire duration of my wifes labour. Let alone to say that when the time came for My son to be born, no one was around. my wife said to me that he was coming, I tried to call the nursing staff, 3 of them were sleeping at the station table, one was swapping flies the whole evening and another just stared at me blankly. my wife called to me again and said he was coming now, I pulled back the covers and delivered my own baby. My baby was born 6wks prem with no nursing assistance. 10mins later they decided to come in and now proceed to cut the ambilical cord then our baby dissapeared with the nurses and was not seen for approximately 8 hours. My wife did not no where he was, if he was still alive or what was happening. The nurses then discharged my baby and wife 2 days later. My baby was 6wks prem had yellow juandice and picked up a serious chest infection from Bara. We had to rush our child to Southrand hospital where my son spent the next 2weeks in an incubator with drips and alsorts. Why was he not taken care off at Bara. Let me just say the oath that these people take is total bullshit, or they dont no what the oath actually means. DISGUSTING IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT
Anonymous, wrote
My friend went into premature labour and Bara was the MOST terrible place for her to be. My heart goes out to all the women who have no choice where they gonna have their babies. She went through hell and best of all is her boyfriend had to deliver her baby as the nursed were "too busy" to help her. Thank God she and baby are doing well. No thanks to Bara
Disgrace, wrote
This will continue as long as government continues to hold indabas at expensive hotels instead of walking into the hospitals and firing the managers and the tenderpreneurs. The real trouble is, those tasked with fixing the problem ARE the problem.
arfie, wrote
Why can't the unemployed help clean the place at least? they gain skills and the place is clean and no maggots breeding in the beds! The lot should be held accountable and pay for those childrens future care.
Anonymous, wrote
This is an absolutely heartbreaking, disgraceful, disgusting situation. The health department seriously needs to intervene. It is completely unacceptable for any mother or baby to have to go through such horros due to lack of sufficient care. How very very sad. Devastated.
Anonymous, wrote
This is appalling. Not so many years ago this hospital was a thriving success. I remember it well. In the last 18 years things have really gone terribly downhill. However this is sadly the state of affairs n many many state run hospitals. How are they ever going to implement NHI whn they can't run the state hospitals. I shudder to think what healthcare is going to be like in this country. Medical aids will be a thing f the past once NHI comes no effect. Private healthcare as we know it today will only be available to the super wealthy. Not even the average man who can afford private healthcare will be able to afford it then. It's a very very scary thing.
Zama, wrote
How can a CEO not know the everyday operations of her hospital, she doesn't have 2b physically be there 247, atleast get a daily briefing of how things are going.
Anonymous, wrote
ZULU, wrote
Thesethose people are self centred and have NO compassionregard for human life. they always want, want and do not care how they get it. Sis, disgusting
Anonymous, wrote
And once upon a timein the good old bad old days, Bara was the best hospital in the Southern Hemisphere. Doctors who trained there were highly sought after in other parts of the world. So what happened in the last 18 years?
Anonymous, wrote
The staffing levels are appalling in these hospitala,the government must wake up and stop playing with peoples lives.All hospitals shoud be at the standard that you get when you go to a private hospital.Why should poor people suffer when these ministers and their families get the best treatment from private hospital.Most hospitala lack just the basic equipment.
Mrs L, wrote
Johanna More seems to have suddenly woken up. Best form of defense is attack. It will be an interesting one. Bring it on - the spectators are just so sad, that the innocent little babies had to pay the price for a hospital that is clearly run by a completely incompetent person.
Anonymous, wrote
Proper maternity care is clearly impossible under the cicumstances described here. 30 years ago Bara's Maternity Unit was a very, very busy place but everyone pulled together to ensure the best possible outcome for every mother and child. And there was no opportunity for maggots to breed on the soiled linen. Itmay be valid for the CEO to question the consultants' whereabouts but they are hardly the backbone of the service, which depends mostly, and 100% after hours, on the maternity nursing staff and the registrars, house officers and cleaning staff. If these people are overstretched, do not have adequate supplies and access to theatre time, fatalities and injuries are a given. Agency nursing staff are not the answer because they know they will not be there after their shift and thus have no fear of consequences if they perform less than adequately. It is disgraceful that the most disadvantaged sectors of SA society, who rely on this service and have no choice but to use it, should be treated with such utter disregard. Unless a lot of money (to improve staffing levels) and more importantly, proper management skills are invested in this department, the carnage will continue. Nobody could deny the potential advantages of universal NHI, but this really highlights how unrealistic it is to expect that it will work in SA without a radical overhaul of the presently inadequate services.
EYE for a EYE, wrote
Next the NHI takes hold. I suggest they that are in charge , as leaders should be held accountable for the happenings in our country.
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
This is what you need to become a nurse.... Admissions requirements: Most nursing courses require a Matric pass, Higher Grade – E, Standard Grade – D. 2 Language subjects, English and 1 other, Biology, Maths or Science. NOT Maths Literacy. Seriously...i doubt that most of these nurses have even got that andor faked their results. My hat off to those nurses who do it because they love their job, I just wish there were more out there.
Henk, wrote
Jack Lengala, wrote
I am not surprised, one of my girlfriends friend works at one of the Hospital which I won’t name. To make matters worse the person has no qualifications, not suitable to be a nurse but goes there on weekends and gets paid r700 a day. At JHB Gen, there is a sign that is put on the day which read " call a doctor when you faint"!!!! The hospitals in Limpopo are far worse than Bara. You get a panado for everything and blood pressure for alles! Nurses are rude like they are on spirits no one cares! All shall be well when the new government takes over.
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