Witbank - The Mpumalanga health department on Tuesday said it launched an internal investigation into the deaths of two babies, who died at Shongwe Hospital in Nkomazi after they were born prematurely.
Department spokesperson Dumisani Malamule told the African News Agency (ANA) that the babies died on Monday night.
“There were suspicions at the beginning that the babies died due to a lack of oxygen, but we called in a company which established that the oxygen was enough,” said Malamule.
“The babies died in a ward of babies who were born prematurely and no one has been suspended. The outcome of the investigation will give us an idea on whether an action must be taken. If the investigation reveals that the deaths were due to a human error, a criminal case will also be opened with the police.”
Malamule could not immediately reveal the ages of the dead babies nor disclose whether they were twins. He said the member of the executive council (MEC) for health, Sasekani Manzini, would visit the hospital on Wednesday.