Woman gives birth on floor
2005-01-17 10:41
Riot Hlatshwayo and Victor Hlungwani
Giyani - A woman had to give birth to twins while lying on old newspapers on an office floor this week because a Limpopo hospital was unable to send an ambulance.
Tintswalo Ngobeni, 28, of Homu village had been queuing at the Giyani health and social development offices last week to help the department update its child support grant records and eliminate fraud.
She has grants for two other small children and was afraid she'd lose them if she didn't meet the department's requirements.
About 14:00 last Tuesday her waters broke and she went into labour.
"I just sat down on the ground not knowing what to do," she said after her ordeal.
A clerk rushed to help her and other people in the queue helped take Ngobeni to an office where she was made to lie on newspapers on the floor.
The clerk, Johanna Baloyi, called Khensani Hospital several times for an ambulance, only to be told each time that there was no ambulance available.
She had to help Ngobeni give birth, first to a boy, and then a girl.
A nurse, who had dropped in at the office, immediately drove to the hospital, 6km away, to try organise an ambulance.
She had to return with the same news that there was no ambulance available.
Safe and sound
She loaded mother and babies in her car and drove them to hospital where they were bathed and treated before being released later that afternoon.
Department spokesperson Phuti Seloba said the mother should not have queued when she knew she was close to giving birth.
"She must have known the risks yet was more desperate to save her grants than go to hospital."
He said officials could have gone to the hospital to help her update the grants if she had requested special assistance in advance.
He said it wasn't unusual for ambulances to be unavailable.
"Ambulances are frequently called out and patients just have to wait their turn," he explained.
Said the mother: "With or without an ambulance, I'm just happy my twins are safe and sound. But I'll certainly never forget that day."
- African Eye