The Eastern Cape health department is investing R64m in a state-of-the-art Cerebral Palsy Centre of Excellence and a labour ward extension at Dora Nginza Hospital in a bid to curb soaring medico-legal claims.
The project will include urgent security feature upgrades and the expansion of the maternity unit to allow for privacy as well as additional beds and consultation rooms.
Dora Nginza’s maternity ward has come under heavy scrutiny after pictures surfaced of heavily pregnant women lying on the floor as they waited to give birth.
In another incident that captured public attention, two babies were kidnapped from the ward.
They were found hours later.
Over the past 10 years, the provincial health department has grappled with litigation related to children born with cerebral palsy due to alleged hospital negligence during childbirth, with more than R40bn worth of claims having been filed against the department.
The claims have had serious financial consequences for health services, with the department constantly running out of funds for other health-related matters such as medicine and equipment.
Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa announced the plans for the new facilities during the project handover to the contractor on Tuesday, saying her department had devised a strategy to establish centres of excellence that would specifically provide medical assistance to children born with cerebral palsy.
These centres will be built in other strategic hospital locations such as Madzikane ka Zulu Memorial Hospital in KwaBhaca, Nelson Mandela Academic in Mthatha, Cecilia Makiwane in Mdantsane, the Butterworth facility in Gcuwa, Frontier in Komani, Aliwal North Hospital in Maletswai, Uitenhage Provincial in Kariega, Andries Vosloo in KwaNojoli (Summerset East), and St Elizabeth Mission in Lusikisiki.
“We all know that the department has been faced with a number of litigations and at some point we went to court and said we wanted to have another approach in our defence,” Capa said.
“That instead of paying a lump sum to those we’ve wronged, we provide an adequate service to ensure that we’re not taken to court.
“That’s why we will also approach the human settlements department to say we can provide houses for those we’ve wronged, and we are working on this with the treasury.
“The centre to be established in blocks A and B of the hospital will offer comprehensive, multidisciplinary care to children with cerebral palsy.
“This integrated approach aims to optimise patient outcomes, potentially reducing the severity of disabilities and improving quality of life.
“By delivering high-quality, specialised care, the department will demonstrate a commitment to best practices, thus reducing instances of alleged medical negligence and strengthening its defence against future medico-legal claims.”
Capa said there had been issues with regard to the maternity unit which they had factored into the project.
“The contractor will start with this [maternity] unit and then the Cerebral Palsy Centre of Excellence which will also deal with maternity issues.
“There have been issues of privacy at maternity and that’s why we want to expand it.
“We have identified problems related to the security of the facility which are critical and urgent considering the latest incident [of stolen babies].
“We are also prioritising the issues raised by the public protector a while ago. They will be part of the package as we move forward.”
Capa said the centre would mainly focus on post-birth care and drive improvements in overall maternal and child healthcare practices in the hospital, aiming to reduce the incidences of birth injuries in the first place.
The Herald
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