The cause of the antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella infections at the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus - which led to the deaths of six babies - was overcrowding‚ minister of health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said on Sunday.
Motsoaledi said Gauteng province needs at least six more hospitals to decrease overcrowding at facilities.
The national minister and Gauteng health MEC Dr Gwen Ramokgopa told a news briefing in Vosloorus that 11 babies contracted Klebsiella since July 11. Six of these babies had died.
Motsoaledi said that the hospital would work with the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital‚ which offers specialist paediatric care‚ in managing the Klebsiella outbreak.
"The decanting of these children to Nelson Mandela hospital with Charlotte Maxeke hospital will give the hospital a chance to scrub and decontaminate the neonatal wards‚" the minister was quoted as saying by the Gauteng health department.