The Democratic Alliance (SA) on Tuesday welcomed a probe into the conduct of the nurses “who allegedly ignored a patient while she screamed for help and later gave birth to a dead baby”.

The DA’s Jack Bloom said he welcomed Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s action against the Rahima Moosa Hospital nurses‚ but said that “this type of thing happens far too often in Gauteng hospitals”.

Eyewitness News (EWN) reported on Monday that patients had attempted to get nurses to assist the mother who was said to be “in pain”.

The news service quoted a witness as saying the baby was premature and was born live but later died.

The witness told EWN that the nurses called the distressed mother “stupid”‚ and refused to help her.

“Strict discipline should be applied as well as measures to improve staff attitudes towards patients‚” said Bloom.

“Nursing is a caring profession‚ and it unfathomable that any nurse could stand by while a patient is in distress.”

He also urged the Nursing Council to get “involved in lifting standards in this area”.