SAHRC: Health MEC to account for state of Gauteng hospitals
The South African Human Rights Commission conducted an inspection at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The inspection follows the deaths of nine infants at the facility.
The commission’s Buang Jones says they met with the hospital’s acting CEO Edward Hunks and his management in an attempt to establish the cause of the deaths.
“It was not a bacterial outbreak. However, the causes are still to be determined,” says Jones.
The hospital roped in the National Institute of Communicable Disease to help with the investigation but has not been able to establish the root cause.
The commission says the hospital highlighted a number of operational issues, such as a shortage of staff and equipment.
Jones says the hospital delivers close to 2000 babies a month.
He believes even if equipment and staff shortages were addressed, it would still be difficult to avoid a similar outbreak since the hospital has not been able to identify the cause.
“We have decided as the human rights commission to commence with the subpoena the Health MEC (Gwen Ramokgopa) and Head of Department Mkhululi Lukhele.”
Jones says that Ramokgopa and Lukhele need to answer to the poor state of hospitals in the province.
“We have obtained concurrence from the National Prosecuting Authority to proceed with a formal subpoena hearing. We will announce details of subpoena process in due cause.”
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Hunks said he was not in a position to address the media as he only became aware of the commission’s visit on Wednesday morning.