Staff not to blame for death of baby born outside clinic gates

The Limpopo health department has revealed that its staff was not to blame for the death of a baby born outside the gates of a local clinic last month.

The incident happened at the Tshino Clinic in Vuwani. Provincial health MEC Phophi Ramathuba had instigated an investigation into the incident shortly after it happened.

“The woman gave birth to a macerated stillborn.  Tests conducted indicate that the baby died in uterine few days before delivery. This is against the allegations and media reports which suggest that the baby died after delivery,” said department spokesperson Neil Shikwambana.

At the time, TimesLIVE reported that the woman had arrived at the clinic at around 3am.

Asked whether the clinic operated on a 24-hour basis, Shikwambana said it worked on a call-out basis in the evenings.

“If a patient arrives after normal operational hours, there are standby nurses who would be called by security to assist,” he said.

In the updated preliminary findings, Shikwambana clarified that the nurses and community had agreed to the 'on call' basis operation. 

“As per this agreement, there should have been nursing staff at the clinic to assist the patient in question,” he added.