- The health ombud has made findings against the head of Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital.
- The ombud also found the management of the Johannesburg hospital was deficient.
- A complaint by MP Haseenabanu Ismail sparked the investigation.
The health ombud has made damning findings against the leadership and staff of Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital (RMMCH) in Johannesburg, confirming claims that pregnant women were made to sleep on the floor.
On Tuesday morning, health ombud Professor Malegapuru Makgoba said his team had spent more than a year investigating complaints against the hospital.
Makgoba handed over a report detailing the findings and recommendations to Health Minister Joe Phaahla at a media briefing in Pretoria.
The investigation into the hospital was launched after a member of Parliament's health portfolio committee, Haseenabanu Ismail, lodged a complaint on 6 April 2022.
Ismail's complaint centred on the treatment of expectant mothers at the public hospital.
The complaint, which sparked widespread outrage, was rated high-risk.
The ombud's probe found pregnant women were made to sit on chairs and sleep on the floor due to overcrowding and a shortage of beds and space at the hospital.
The investigation also found that those who were made to sit on chairs and sleep on the floor weren't attended to in a manner fitting for the "nature of severity of their health condition".
Ismail alleged that the hospital's chief executive, Dr Nozuko Precious Mkabayi, had not worked full-time to ensure the facility functioned effectively. Ismail alleged that she had only spent 182 days at the hospital.
"The allegation that the CEO of RMMCH was not full-time at the hospital to ensure that everything ran smoothly was substantiated and confirmed.
"Based on the answers provided, the investigation found that 27 days were unaccounted for, and there were substantive irregularities regarding Dr NP Mkabayi's leave," Makgoba said.
Makgoba's office also looked into a question DA member Jack Bloom tabled in the Gauteng legislature on 26 July 2022.
Bloom queried how many days the CEO had spent at work since her appointment on 1 January 2021.
In the response then Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Emily Mokgethi provided to the legislature on 8 August 2022, she indicated that Mkabayi had spent 346 days at the hospital after her appointment.
But the ombud's investigation found that 71 days were unaccounted for.
Ismail further alleged that the health and dignity of patients, as well as the well-being of healthcare workers, were severely affected.
Makgoba found this allegation was substantiated and confirmed.
The investigation further found that the Gauteng health department failed to promote and implement relevant human resource policies in a standardised and transparent manner.
"This led to so-called 'trust agreements' between supervisors and supervisees where each party 'trusted' that the other party was fulfilling their professional responsibilities.
"It has been demonstrated that this manner of working is not only fraught with pitfalls (once the trust relationship has broken down), but it [is also] open to abuse as there is no accountability."