The preliminary investigation into Mahikeng Provincial Hospital (MPH) has revealed managers need to "account" after newborns were placed in cardboard boxes on Saturday last week.
According to the preliminary report that was released on Wednesday by the North West Health MEC, Madoda Sambatha, there are allegations of serious acts of misconduct against hospital management which warrant a further probe into the matter.
This comes after a video that was posted on Facebook went viral across social media platforms showing four infants who were wrapped in blue sheets and placed in brown cardboard boxes.
According to Sambatha, no formal written incident report has been filed by the managers about what happened on that day.
Reports suggest that 56 babies had been delivered, but the hospital only had cribs and incubators to accommodate 47.
"So far, the report has pointed out five members of management at the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital who are to be temporarily relocated to nearby facilities to allow for investigation processes to continue unhindered," Sambatha said.
The MEC said the five managers include the CEO of the hospital.
"I have also reviewed my decision about the precautionary suspension of the two officials following the release of the report on the preliminary investigation of this incident. I have constantly said that the precautionary suspension was never punitive but to give space to ascertain whether their presence would not interfere with the investigation hence I reviewed my decision after the report revealed that they would not interfere with the investigation," he explained.
The probe, according to the MEC, was part of a multiphase approach adopted by the department to resolve the challenges experienced at the MPH.
In the meantime, the department has channelled skills and resources to augment the operational capacity at MPH for effective service delivery.
In addition, Sambatha said the hospital has consistently been experiencing a very high bed utilisation rate, particularly in the neonatal, orthopaedic and 72-hour psychiatric units.
"We had to sit down as a department with the MPH management to come up with measures to alleviate the situation in order to optimise efficiencies at the facility," he added.
As part of the intervention, a space audit was conducted and several measures will be implemented.
These, according to the MEC, include the postnatal unit being moved to gynaecology to allow that space to be converted to a neonatal ward to accommodate 79 beds. These include incubators and cribs.
The clinical space will also receive additional beds, while the orthopaedic beds will now increase from 46 to 66 with separate female wards.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
An additional 15 beds in the Bophelong Psychiatric Hospital will now be used for female patients who are on 72-hour observation.
These plans, the MEC said, will be actioned to support and strengthen the good work that is already being done by the hospital management and staff.
"It is commendable that Mahikeng Provincial Hospital has managed to appoint 77 nurses between October 2022 and April this year. This is admirable as it addresses the issue of the shortage of nurses. It should also be noted that some of the nurses absorbed by the hospital are those who were on contract during the national state of disaster which was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.
