Unless Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang releases a full report on the deaths of babies in Eastern Cape’s Frere Hospital within the next 24 hours, the Democratic Alliance (DA) will take constitutional steps against her, the party warned on Wednesday.
The DA’s health spokesperson, Mike Waters, said the party’s previous attempts to get the minister to release the report drew a blank.
”The DA has … been attempting to obtain the full report, but officials say they cannot get hold of the minister to get the go-ahead to release it.
”Unless the report is produced within the next 24 hours, the DA will submit an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act to demand its release,” he said.
A few weeks ago, the department appointed a task team to investigate the deaths of 43 babies who were born at the hospital.
The hospital’s abortion and stillbirth book had shown that 2 000 babies were stillborn in the past 14 years.
”On Sunday, the minister of health read out a prepared press statement about the conclusions of a ministerial task team investigating baby deaths at Frere Hospital, but a full copy of the full report was not released,” said Waters.
Health Ministry spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said he was surprised that Waters, a member of Parliament’s health portfolio committee, wanted the minister to release the report to him.
”The report has been sent to the portfolio committee,” he said.
The committee’s chairperson, James Ngculu, confirmed having received the report. However, he could not say when the committee would release the report.
”The committee will determine that after conducting its visit to the Frere Hospital early next month,” Ngculu said. — Sapa