Phindile Mpanza’s story is all too common – a mother knows her child is in danger, but all her cries for help fall on deaf ears.
She gave birth to Kuyakhanya Mpanza by Caesarean section on February 6 and both mother and child were kept in hospital for a week.
All she was told was that her baby’s blood sugar was low – she was given no further explanation.
“A drip was inserted into his arm (she was not sure when the drip was inserted). On the 12th I realised that the baby’s arm was becoming cold, swollen and it was changing colour. It was turning purple,” said the distressed mother.
She reported the problem to a nurse but she was told she must wait for a doctor.
The child was distressed and clearly in pain but nothing was done to alleviate the problem. A doctor eventually came and checked the baby but he told the mother that they would monitor the drip and went away.
He returned after an hour for a check-up but the drip remained in Kuyakhanya’s arm, despite her protests. The drip was removed on the 13th but the baby’s condition did not improve. At 1am on the 14th, mother and baby were transferred to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital but it was already too late to save Kuyakhanya’s arm.
