GEORGE NEWS - The family of a 15-year-old girl says they are hurt and angry at the way she was treated while giving birth to a baby boy on the morning of Sunday 1 October.

They are also much perturbed at the way her premature baby was handled. The girl had been admitted to the emergency centre of George Hospital after experiencing birth pains and bleeding. 

According to the girl's mother, who was present at the birth, the doctor had immediately upon birth presumed the baby was dead, and he was taken away. 

"He was not wrapped in a blanket, but put on the same piece of paper as the afterbirth, before being removed. But later that morning, while my daughter was in the operating theatre for a procedure after the birth, the doctor came to me where I was waiting to tell me that the baby had started crying."

She said apparently someone had heard the baby and brought him back from a room where he had been taken after birth. 

The doctor told her that the baby was then put into an incubator. According to the girl's mother, the birth took place at about 09:00 and at about 13:00 she was informed that the baby was alive. 

"My daughter remained at the hospital until his death eight days later."

'No empathy'

Another relative of the girl told the newspaper that the doctor and staff had shown no empathy with the girl and her mother during the birth. 

"It was an emergency and a distressing experience for both mother and daughter, but we are aghast at the way they were treated. The mother was given water and a cloth to clean up after the birth, and clean her daughter. They were overwhelmed by the situation and emotional, and had to suffer such humiliation on top of that. This is no way to treat people, even if they are poor."

She said the family's questions regarding the doctor's handling of the newborn include why no effort was made to wake up the baby or to make it cry to open up its lungs. 

"There was no examination by the doctor. The baby was simply presumed dead. We want to know where the baby was kept after being taken away from the mother. The question in our minds is, could he have made it if he had not lain without anything to keep him warm or any medical assistance for the first four hours of his life? Even if it could not have saved his life, the whole situation could have been handled with more grace and courtesy."

George Herald approached the Western Cape Health Department that responded as follows to the family's complaint: 

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family for their sad loss. The loss of a loved one, especially at such a young age, is a traumatic experience and we acknowledge the family is grieving.

"Due to the patient sensitivity of this case, the department will not provide patient confidential information and will only respond with factually correct information. The newborn was born prematurely on 1 October and sadly passed away a few days after the birth.

"We are also investigating the allegations as part of her formal complaint as required within the National Health Act and will provide the relevant information to her as we are trying to arrange a meeting with the mom to address her concerns in person."

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