Pretoria – Limpopo Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba has appealed to pregnant women to seek medical help in time, when they are due to deliver.
Ramathuba’s appeal comes after a woman, who was in her second pregnancy, delivered a child in a car inside the Burgersfort Clinic.
“According to the preliminary report, the woman presented to the clinic at around 6.20 in the morning (on Wednesday). The security personnel opened the gate for her and called on nursing staff to assist. This was despite the clinic opening at 7am,” Ramathuba said.
When the nurse arrived to assist the woman, Ramathuba said she had already delivered the baby.
Figures released by the Limpopo health department show that last year, at least 5 193 women delivered babies before they could reach a health facility in the province.
“This figure is indicative of the challenge that we have in terms of women who rather wait until they are progressed before they seek help,” Ramathuba said.
“Women must not wait until they are highly progressed before they could come to the facility, this puts the risk to the lives of both the mother and the child.”
Earlier this year, the Limpopo Health MEC visited a woman who had given birth to a set of conjoined babies.
Provincial health department’s spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said the 41-year-old gave birth via C-section at the Jane Furse Hospital.
“The patient, who is a referral from a clinic was diagnosed as a normal twin pregnancy during antenatal clinic visits,” Shikwambana said.
“It was only during operation that doctors discovered that the babies were joined on the chest and abdomen.The babies were successfully extracted without any difficulties, and transferred to Mankweng Hospital for full and further assessment by both neonatologists and paediatric surgeons.”
Shikwambana said the mother, who was doing well, would be transferred for assessment by gynaecologists.
IOL