HEALTH MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo has called on nurses to do everything they can to save lives after reports of hundreds of deaths of pregnant women and babies.
Dhlomo made the call during the opening of the Society of Midwives of South Africa Congress which began on Tuesday at Elangeni Hotel.
Hundreds of midwives from all over the country are attending the Durban conference ending today.
Dhlomo said when healthcare professionals are lazy and fail to follow the rules, people die. He said in 2010, 385 deaths of pregnant women were reported, compared to 239 last year. “The department is concerned that in the province one in 20 children die before their fifth birthday and 45% of them die outside healthcare services,” he said.
Dhlomo called upon all midwives, as well as all healthcare professionals to spread messages of maternal care at every chance.
“As a country, we are measured by how much we support pregnant women,” said Dhlomo. He added out of one million babies delivered each year, 900 000 are at public hospitals in midwives’ care.
He urged them to go beyond the call of duty and promote mothers’ waiting lodges in rural provinces like KZN and the Eastern Cape.
KwaMashu mum Nomusa Ngcobo (45) said midwives need to be reminded about their work. “It is painful seeing a mum carrying a child, only to find out the child died during birth.”
