A woman gave birth while stuck in a lift at Johannesburg’s Coronation Hospital on Sunday night, the Gauteng health department confirmed on Monday.
This follows an incident at the hospital three weeks ago where a doctor on duty was stuck in a lift for more than an hour, leaving a patient in surgery.
Gauteng Democratic Alliance (DA) health spokesperson Jack Bloom said he was told that the lift became stuck at about 10pm on Sunday evening, with the pregnant woman, a midwife and a porter inside.
They were freed after an hour-and-a-half, but the woman had given birth while she waited.
”Not a day goes by when there is not an incident where a patient, visitor or doctor is stuck in the lifts. This morning [Monday] none of the lifts was working,” said Bloom.
According to Bloom, more such incidents have been reported to him since the Gauteng department of public works cancelled its maintenance contract with the hospital in June this year.
”The call centre [Impophoma] that has been set up for repairs simply does not work,” Bloom said. ”This is a huge liability issue. If a patient suffers damage because of a broken lift, they can sue the hospital for millions. All the lifts need to be replaced.”
Gauteng health department spokesperson Zanele Mngadi confirmed the ”incident” and said mother and baby were ”fine”.
Spokespersons for the hospital and the department of public works declined to comment. — Sapa