Publications
Partners
- An Eastern Cape maternity ward nurse allegedly shamed a woman who had a miscarriage.
- It is alleged that the male nurse also accused the woman of aborting the foetus.
- The Department of Health has launched an investigation into the incident.
The Eastern Cape health department has launched an investigation into allegations that a nurse at one of its facilities shamed a young woman after she suffered a miscarriage.
The nurse allegedly also accused the woman of aborting the baby before instructing her friend to take pictures of the foetus to show her friends the "results of abortion".
The nurse faces misconduct charges.
The incident allegedly took place on Sunday at Ntabankulu Community Health Centre.
The names and a photo of the nurse have been circulated in a website petition in which the allegations have been repeated.
The health department in a statement said the 23-year-old patient reportedly experienced inappropriate treatment from the "official" while she was in labour.
The department:
The department said the nurse's alleged unprofessional behaviour was brought to its attention by a Ntabankulu-based NGO.
The department did not disclose the circumstances of the alleged misconduct.
"Upon receiving the complaint, the department acted swiftly by engaging the patient and the NGO to get the full details of the incident and also to provide all the necessary support to the patient and those involved," the department added.
It said psychosocial support has been provided to both the patient and her friend.
The nurse has been removed from both the maternity ward and the health centre until the investigation has been concluded, the department added.
READ | Woman allegedly raped by medical practitioner at Eastern Cape hospital
The incident has sparked outrage, with gender activists condemning the alleged behaviour of the nurse.
"The Department of Health must do a thorough investigation and deal with this matter quickly to prevent a situation where young women and girls do not want to go to public healthcare facilities due to ignorant nurses," said Anelisa Jezile from Masimanyane Women's Rights International.
Eastern Cape Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth condemned the alleged incident.
"While we have launched an investigation into the matter, we are concerned that such an incident could have happened at our facility," she said.
The MEC added:
The department also referred this alleged violation of the patient's rights to the internal customer care division.
The head of department, Dr Rolene Wagner, also criticised the reported incident, and said the department's care teams were expected to provide "compassionate care at all times, especially when our patients and their support are at their most vulnerable".
Patients who experience problems at health facilities are encouraged to contact the department's 24-hour toll free number 0800032364 for assistance.
