The klebsiella death toll at Durban’s Prince Mshiyeni Hospital has risen to six, the Mercury newspaper reported on Thursday.
This follows the deaths of five other babies at the hospital two weeks ago. It was announced then that two other babies were infected with klebsiella.
The deceased’s mother, Lungile Ngema (20) of Mtwalume, told the paper that her daughter, Oyama, was born on November 23 and was one of the two babies infected with klebsiella.
She said she was never told what klebsiella was, or when or how her child had contracted it.
The newspaper reported that nurses had taunted Ngema, saying mothers like her — who gave birth at home — brought the disease to the hospital.
”They made it seem as if it was my fault that my baby had klebsiella. She was born at six months; she came before time and I had her at home before going to hospital,” Ngema said.
”When she was a week old, the doctor came to me and said she had klebsiella, and that she had little chance of living,” she said.
Ngema said she wanted the hospital to account and pay for her child’s death, but that she did not know who to turn to.
The KwaZulu-Natal health department was not immediately available for comment.
Compensation
The Democratic Alliance said this week that the report by the microbiologist had shown that the outbreak was caused by overcrowding, understaffing, re-use of intravenous equipment, and nurses with dirty hands.
”Clearly the Department of Health is at fault and we believe compensation should be paid out to the families of the five dead babies.”
He said action should be taken against the medical staff who re-used intravenous equipment.
”Someone must be held accountable for these deaths … or else it will continue … the least the health department could do is hold an internal inquiry to find out whose dirty hands it was … because — as far as we know — there has been no inquiry to find out who was at fault,” he said. – Sapa