Baby deaths have soared at Dr George Mukhari Hospital, near Ga-Rankuwa north of Pretoria, in the past five years, while the number of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) decreased.

The deaths rose from 232 in 2013 to 302 deaths in 2018. The ICU number decreased from 2,239 in 2013 to 1,604 in 2018, Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku told DA shadow health MEC Jack Bloom, who said he was shocked at the numbers.

“These premature babies are more prone to complications. They stay longer in the ward and the management is more complex. I am also concerned that 140 babies died of klebsiella last year compared with 48 klebsiella deaths in 2013. This is a three-fold increase,” Bloom said.

Masuku said premature birth was the main reason for the increase in the number of deaths.

“The final cause of death in these patients would need a record review to make an accurate final cause of death.

“Systems are in place to prevent infections and no definite source of infection was identified at the time,” Masuku said.

Bloom said he was not satisfied with Masuku’s response.

“The causes of the sharp rise in baby deaths should have received urgent attention and action taken, particularly in the case of klebsiella, which is linked to poor infection controls. Though Masuku says that the wards are regularly cleaned, staff at the hospital have expressed concern to me that disinfection measures need to be improved.

“We need accurate and speedy monitoring of the causes of baby deaths at this hospital to ensure that all avoidable deaths are prevented,” Bloom added.

According to a statement by Kwara Kekana, the Gauteng health MEC's spokesperson, the high mortality rates can be attributed to high burden of disease in pregnant patients, a high number of referrals of high-risk patients from surrounding clinics and district hospitals, inadequate infrastructure to accommodate all neonates, resulting in overcrowding of the neonatal ward and increasing the risk of sepsis.

Measures have been put in place to strengthen infection prevention and control, said Kekana.