Alex Matlala
Alex Matlala
Desperate doctors at Helene Franz Hospital in Limpopo were allegedly forced to sever a baby's head to save its mother during a complicated birth.
The nurses allegedly claimed that the baby and the mother would have died, soone of them had to be sacrificed.
The baby's mother, Mosina Matjee, said she spent Saturday night surrounded by confused nurses - with the baby's body protruding and its head still in her body.
Matjee said the nurses claimed "the exit" for the baby was too small and that the baby's head was too big.
She said nurses told her they were going to kill the baby - otherwise she and the baby would die.
"They gave me an injection, and after a few minutes the body of my beautiful baby was on the ground - without a head," she cried.
Matjee said she would seek legal advise on what action to take against the hospital.
Matjee's mother, Maria, said if the baby and the mother were both in danger, doctors should have performed an operation to save them.
She said it was weird that nurses did not bother to check the baby's position while still in its mother's womb so that they could perform an operation or try to put the baby in the right position.
Health spokesman Phuti Seloba said there was nothing amazing about the decision taken by the doctors. He said in some situations, doctors were allowed to terminate the life of either the mother or baby if both were in danger.
He said both the mother and the baby would have died.
However, in an about-turn Seloba contacted Sowetan and refuted allegations that the baby's head was "cut off" during delivery. The baby was born dead, he said.
Seloba said the department has proof of pictures taken by doctors during the delivery.
"Our medical team took pictures after realising that there were campaigns orchestrated by those with malicious intentions to dent the image of the department and that of the hospital."
Seloba said the department viewed the fabricated allegations as part of shebeen gossip against the department by the dismissed hospital board chairperson.
He further stressed that at times doctors are permitted to terminate the life of either the mother or the baby if they were both in danger.
Baby's head 'cut off'
Alex Matlala
Alex Matlala
Desperate doctors at Helene Franz Hospital in Limpopo were allegedly forced to sever a baby's head to save its mother during a complicated birth.
The nurses allegedly claimed that the baby and the mother would have died, soone of them had to be sacrificed.
The baby's mother, Mosina Matjee, said she spent Saturday night surrounded by confused nurses - with the baby's body protruding and its head still in her body.
Matjee said the nurses claimed "the exit" for the baby was too small and that the baby's head was too big.
She said nurses told her they were going to kill the baby - otherwise she and the baby would die.
"They gave me an injection, and after a few minutes the body of my beautiful baby was on the ground - without a head," she cried.
Matjee said she would seek legal advise on what action to take against the hospital.
Matjee's mother, Maria, said if the baby and the mother were both in danger, doctors should have performed an operation to save them.
She said it was weird that nurses did not bother to check the baby's position while still in its mother's womb so that they could perform an operation or try to put the baby in the right position.
Health spokesman Phuti Seloba said there was nothing amazing about the decision taken by the doctors. He said in some situations, doctors were allowed to terminate the life of either the mother or baby if both were in danger.
He said both the mother and the baby would have died.
However, in an about-turn Seloba contacted Sowetan and refuted allegations that the baby's head was "cut off" during delivery. The baby was born dead, he said.
Seloba said the department has proof of pictures taken by doctors during the delivery.
"Our medical team took pictures after realising that there were campaigns orchestrated by those with malicious intentions to dent the image of the department and that of the hospital."
Seloba said the department viewed the fabricated allegations as part of shebeen gossip against the department by the dismissed hospital board chairperson.
He further stressed that at times doctors are permitted to terminate the life of either the mother or the baby if they were both in danger.
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