Hospital left placenta in my womb, claims East Rand woman

The woman, who does not want to be named due to fear of intimidation, gave birth to her first child in September 2019.

She says she was healthy during her pregnancy but fell ill after giving birth.

"In December I started feeling pain in my stomach, the pain started to get unbearable to the point where I could not breathe. I went back to the hospital but I was told they will only be able to book me for a check-up on the 18th of February. But the pain got worse and one day I boiled a lot of water and drunk it, and eventually, as I was sitting on the couch I felt like I was bleeding but something really big came out of me and I did not know what it was."

She says she put the placenta in the fridge not knowing what it was and went back to the hospital where she was again told they could not help.

But she confronted one of the doctors and showed him pictures of what she had found.

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She says at first the staff at the hospital would not tell her what was wrong and she thought that she might have cancer.

"I am very hurt by this. I cannot even breastfeed my newborn and working as a cleaner, I cannot even afford formula. This thing has made me fear ever having another child."

The mother says although the hospital has given her medication, she has no money to see a professional to assess the effects of the placenta being in her womb for so long.

She has laid a formal complaint at the hospital and is reaching out to the Gauteng Department of Health for assistance.

The department's spokesperson Kwara Kekana says they are aware of the complaint.

"The department, though the hospital, has scheduled a redress meeting for  the 25th February and this includes further clinical assessment by doctors at the hospital.”

She says they cannot divulge the specifics of the patient and her condition due to doctor and patient confidentiality.

Kekana says clinical tests will be done to determine if indeed it is a placenta.