South Africa: Limpopo Department of Health has learned with serious concerns about the incident wherein a heavily pregnant woman was dropped off by an unknown vehicle at Seshego Hospital gate in the early hours of this morning.
The woman was left stranded to walk to the hospital gate. On hearing the grief and noise, the security officers rushed to see what was happening and discovered that it was a heavily pregnant woman already in labour.
According to the Limpopo Department of Health, “The security officer responded by alerting nurses in casualty, who rushed to the scene and assisted the woman with the final stages of delivery. The mother and the baby were admitted to the hospital for further assessment, and unfortunately, a 1.6kg baby girl was admitted to the neonatology unit since she was in critical condition while the mother was fine.”
“We continue to make a call to all pregnant women not to wait until the contractions are stronger or membranes have ruptured to seek help. By the time the pain is sharper, women must know that the head of the baby is on the perineum. Women are advised to attend Antenatal clinics where they will be advised on the expected date of delivery, transport to the facility and the relevant facility. This is done to protect both the mother and the baby, “ said MEC Ramathuba.