'Nurse let my baby die'

THE Gauteng department of health is locked in a war of words with a Pretoria mother who claims her baby died while a nurse "folded her arms"

Cecilia Mthembu, 37, said her 3-month-old baby, Bokhabane, was struggling to breathe and she took her to Soshanguve Clinic 3 in Block BB on May 9.

But the health department says the baby was already dead when she was brought to the clinic.

Spokesperson Simon Zwane said: "The baby was certified dead on arrival following an examination by a clinical nurse on duty."

He said Mthembu became hysterical when she was told that her daughter was dead.

"She threatened to take the child to a private clinic because she could not believe she was dead. The clinic then called police," he said.

Mthembu maintains that her baby would still be alive today had the nurse administered emergency medical procedure on her "gravely ill child instead of folding her arms and saying in SePedi, "Ke setopo se" (This is a corpse).

"Instead of helping my baby she (nurse) subjected me to inconsiderate treatment while my baby clung to life and ultimately drew her last breath," Mthembu said.

She said when she demanded that the nurse attend to her baby the clinic instead called the police "who arrived heavily armed and detained me in the doctor's office".

She has since lodged a formal complaint with the clinic and vowed to sue the department of health for negligence and emotional damage.

But Zwane said: "The nursing and medical records indicate that protocol was followed and the allegations made by the complainant are unfounded."