South Africa (Limpopo): The Limpopo Department of Health wishes to dispel as untrue the story carried by Giyani View, an online publication alleging that a pregnant woman gave birth on her own at Nkhensani Hospital after the nurses refused to assist her.
After seeing the story, the department located the alleged victim since there was no prior complaint laid at the hospital. Upon interviewing her, the alleged victim denied ever having the kind of experience at Nkhensani Hospital as alleged by the publication.
She further indicated that she was surprised to hear the news because she neither relayed such information to the publication nor anyone.
The department will be taking the matter up with the publication because, over time, a trend has been observed where unverified facts are published to the detriment of the department.
The danger about stories like this is that they pit nurses and healthcare workers in general against the public and thus put their lives at risk.
Nkhensani Hospital has a new Acting CEO and a new team that has worked tirelessly hard during the past three months to turn things around at the hospital. Such stories by Giyani View run the risk of demoralizing the team and reversing the good work that is being done at the hospital.
It is against this background that the department demands that GiyaniView retract the story and also apologise to the nurses and midwives at Nkhensani Hospital.
Furthermore, the department wishes to once again call on journalists to respect their craft by, among others, checking facts and not relying on hearsay because such acts not only hurt the images of the subjects but also erode the credibility of journalism. Credible journalism that is driven by facts and not fake news is strategic in informing the public and holding the governent to account.