Startling number of babies dying
Most ‘negligence’ cases occur at Bara
More than 1 300 babies have died at birth in SA’s biggest public hospital, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Diepkloof, Soweto, over the past three years.
Gauteng health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa said in a response to questions in the provincial legislature that 1 338 babies died at birth in the hospital between 2014 and last year.
Of the 1 338 deaths, 446 died in 2014, while 466 lost their lives in 2015 and 426 babies passed on last year, she said. This represented a death rate of more than 20% every year. There were 21 653 in 2014, 20 324 in 2015 and 19 529 babies born last year at the hospital.
In the response, Ramokgopa said there were no babies born brain damaged in the years under review. She, however, said the cause of deaths was prematurity, infections, asphyxia (lack of oxygen) and congenital abnormalities. At least 293 babies were born with mild asphyxia between 2014 and 2016, and 28 babies had severe asphyxia in the same period, the response read. “The ones with mild form usually recover soon thereafter but the severely affected ones will need critical support. “Severe brain damage can then later manifest as cerebral palsy,” she said. “There has not been any negligence identified. The legal unit is liaising with the HR department to investigate medico-legal issues raised.”
She said there were seven and eight vacant posts in neonatal and maternity department, respectively.
Democratic Alliance Gauteng health spokesman Jack Bloom, however, said he was not convinced about “the department’s denial of negligence in the 28 severe asphyxia cases that could have caused brain damage”.
“This hospital has by far the most negligence cases which end up in court with huge payouts. R514-million has been paid to 44 claimants since January 2015. This is what led me to ask the questions.
“In one case alone, R36.8million was paid for the lifetime costs of a baby with cerebral palsy caused by negligence at the hospital,” he said.
On Sunday, Ramokgopa raised concerns about the country’s medical legal claims for the public sector, which she said amounted to more than R37-billion at the end of March 2016. Gauteng was the second-highest affected, with claims amounting to more than R13.8-billion.
She said 70% of the medical legal claims related to child births and this was affecting services being rendered by public health facilities.
Meanwhile, in May 2010 11 babies, some not yet born, died at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital due to negligence.
Though the report into the investigation exonerated the hospital of negligence, the babies and pregnant women had complained about diarrhoea.
Last year, Sowetan reported that the department was facing medical negligence claims of R1.6-billion.
In 2015, R433-million was paid out to claimants.