The plight of pregnant women in govt hospitals
The audio is in isiZulu. See the English summary below.
MABUTHO: Kubantu abaningi besifazane ukuthola umntwana kuyisibusiso esingechazwe ngoba kubenza bazibone bebalulekile emindenini yabo kanye nasemphakathini imbala. Phezu kokubaluleka kokuthola umntwana kubantu besifazane, kuyavela ukuthi kukhulu ukukhathazeka ngokungaphathwa kahle ngamanesi ikakhulukazi ezibhedlela kanye nasemitholampilo kahulumeni okwenza ukuthi isikhathi abasichitha esibhedlela belindele ukubeletha nokuyisikhathi okufanele ngabe bayasithokozela sifane nesiqalekiso. ULoveday Penn-Kekana ovela emnyangweni obhekele ezempilo, iCentre for Health Policy enyuvesi yase Wits, eGoli, uthi kuzozonke izikhalazo ezitholwa iSouth African Nursing Council azikho ezedlula lezo zalabo abakhala ngamanesi abelethisayo. Kanti uthi naye useke wazibonela ngokwakhe.
LOVEDAY PENN-KEKANA: There are more complaints in the Nursing Council about nurses working in midwifery than any other category of nurses. Reports of women being verbally abused, and even physically abused, in maternity services are just so common. I have heard care workers saying ‘ah when you were having sex in the shacks you were not calling for me to come and help. Why do you want help now’? So, there is real problem with the way women are treated.
MABUTHO: UPenn-Kekana uthi akugcini nje ngokuthi abesifazane bahlukunyezwe ngamazwi, ngoba kuyinto ejwayelekile ezibhedlela zikahulumeni ukuthi lowo obelethayo ayekelelwe azibelethele ngokwakhe, ngale kokuthi asizwe ngamanesi, nathi kuyinto engamukeleki ngoba owesifazane uyamdinga umuntu ozoba seduze kwakhe uma ebeletha ukuze kungazukuba khona izinkinga ekubeletheni kwakhe.
LOVEDAY PENN-KEKANA: Women should be monitored while they are delivering. And if delivery is taking too long, then, something needs to be done. But what often happens is that they are not monitored. They are just left in their beds. And that is the most common healthcare worker related factor.
MABUTHO: Ngokuka Ethel Radebe ongusekelamongameli wenyunyana yamanesi iDemocratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) uthi izinkulumo ezingezinhle ngabahlengikazi ziyinto ejwayelekile ngenxa yokungaqondi izimo ezingezinhle amanesi asebenza ngaphansi kwazo. Uthi lezizimo ezingezinhle amanesi asebenza ngaphansi kwazo zigcina sezenza ukuthi aphelelwe nawumdlandla wokwenza umsebenzi.
ETHEL RADEBE: You will hear that nurses have negative attitudes, but the main challenge is that because of the environment (under which nurses work) you will get people who are not motivated to do their work, who are tired some of the time due to the work load.
MABUTHO: UPenn-Kekana uthi nakuba evumelana no Radebe ngezinkinga ezikhona emnyangweni wezempilo ezidala ukwehla kothando lomsebenzi kumanesi, kepha, uthi ngezinye izikhathi kuba ubudedengu kanye nobuvila bamanesi.
LOVEDAY PENN-KEKANA: Sometimes it is due to the shortage of staff. But I am afraid sometimes it’s due to the staff watching the ‘Bold’ or sleeping or tired because they have been working extra hours in other hospitals.
MABUTHO: Okuhlalukayo ukuthi bancane kakhulu abantu abathola ukuhlukunyezwa ngamanesi abaphumela obala babike ngokuhlukunyezwa kwamalungelo abo kwiminyango efanele. U Adv Kaya Zweni wekhomishana yamalungelo esintu (South Africa Human Rights Commission) uthi ocwaningweni labo abasanda kulwenza ngezinkinga ezikhona ezibhedlela kanye nasemitholampilo kahulumeni lenkinga yokungabikwa kwezigameko zokuhlukunyezwa ngamanesi idalwa ukungabi nalo ulwazi ngamalungelo kanye nokwesabela ukuthi ukubika kuzokwenza isimo sibe sibi kakhulu kunakuqala.
ADV KAYA ZWENI: We noted that the patients, generally, are not aware of their rights. Those who are aware or who are having little knowledge of their rights are afraid to complain because of possible repercussions from the nursing staff.
The English summary.
The plight of pregnant women in govt hospitals
Although pregnancy is a good thing to most married women, delivering the baby, which most women do at public hospitals, could be the most unpleasant experience, according to allegations of ill-treatment that they endure at the hands of nurses in public sector hospitals.
According to Loveday Penn-Kekana, a researcher, from the Centre for Health policy at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg the complaints that are received by the South African Nursing Council indicate that all is not well in maternity wards of the public health care institutions.
‘There are more complaints in the (South Africa) Nursing Council about nurses working in midwifery than any other category of nurses. Reports of women being verbally abused, and even physically abused, in maternity services are just so common. I have heard care workers saying ‘ah when you were having sex in the shacks you were not calling for me to come and help. Why do you want help now’? So, there is real problem with the way women are treated,’ she said.
Penn-Kekana says the lack of commitment and dedication among the nurses towards the pregnant women has become a norm in most public hospitals. She says it is often common for pregnant women not to be monitored when delivering.
‘Women should be monitored while they are delivering. And if delivery is taking too long, then, something needs to be done. But what often happens is that they are not monitored. They are just left in their beds. And that is the most common healthcare worker related factor,’ said Penn-Kekana.
However, the deputy president of the Democratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA), Ethel Radebe, says the negative sentiments attributed towards the nurses are caused by the lack of understanding of the high workload nurses face in most public health institutions.
‘You will hear that nurses have negative attitudes, but the main challenge is that because of the environment (under which nurses work) you will get people who are not motivated to do their work, who are tired some of the time due to the work load,’ Radebe said.
Although Penn-Kekana partially agrees with Radebe regarding the unfavorable working environment under which nurses work she says, ‘sometimes it’s due to the staff watching ‘The Bold (and the Beautiful)’ or sleeping or tired because they have been working extra hours in other hospitals’.
According to a recent research by the Human Rights Commission, conducted in more than 50 public health institutions countrywide, victims of ill-treatment by nurses do not report the violation of their rights. This, according to Advocate Kaya Zweni of the Human Rights Commission, can be attributed to the fact that some patients ‘are not aware of their rights’ and that ‘those who are aware or who are having little knowledge of their rights are afraid to complain because of the possible repercussions from the nursing staff’.
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