Johannesburg – Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on Wednesday disputed the allegations by a Congolese woman who claimed she was refused assistance by three state hospitals despite being in labour, apparently due to her asylum status.
Speaking on 702, Motsoaledi said that Francine Kalala, in fact, left the two Pretoria hospitals in question after she was told that she would have to undergo a Caesarean section to deliver her baby.
Kalala alleged that she was first refused admission at the Tshwane District Hospital when she arrived there in labour on Thursday last week. Kalala then went to the Steve Biko Hospital and was also reportedly turned away.
Confused and desperate, Francine took the Gautrain to Joburg.
Francine spent the 45-minute train ride to Joburg vomiting as the other passengers tried their best to assist her. But when the train pulled into Park Station at 7am, after Francine had been in labour for more than five hours, her infant daughter, Emmanuella, could not wait any longer.
The train doors opened and passengers immediately cried for help. Security guards quickly came, bringing boxes to create a semblance of privacy for Francine to give birth.
She gave birth on the floor at Park Station and an ambulance took her and the baby to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital which reportedly also barred her access.
She and her baby finally got treatment at the Hillbrow Community Health Centre.
However, on Wednesday, Motsoaledi said he found that the story had many loopholes as he did his own investigation into the matter, and felt he needed to set the record straight.
"There are many foreign nationals who are giving birth in our public hospitals," Motsoaledi said during the interview.
He said CCTV footage did not tally up with Kalala's story and there were no records of her visiting Charlotte Maxeke hospital.