South Africa’s maternal mortality rate has more than quadrupled over the last few years, with the Eastern Cape being the main contributor to the high mortality rates, according to a report compiled by the Human Rights Watch and released this morning.
South Africa’s maternal mortality rate has more than quadrupled over the last few years, with the Eastern Cape being the main contributor to the high mortality rates, according to a report compiled by the Human Rights Watch and released this morning.
The report details the maternity care failure and the abuse of maternity patients by health workers in the Eastern Cape. Agnes Odhiambo, Africa women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, says that “the report is aimed at understanding the blockages in the health care system.”
“The Eastern Cape has the worst health indicators,” said Odhiambo, explaining the need for urgency and a call for action in the province.
Interviews conducted by the Human Rights Watch, revealed that patients are being physically and verbally abused by the public health workers, including occurrences of pinching, slapping and careless handling during labour.
Odhiambo says that that nurses have to work in an environment that is severely understaffed and where equipment is scarce, but that it is no excuse to abuse their patients.
Public health care workers are also apathetic in responding to complaints or and are negligent to the immediacy of treatment required for maternal patients. Nurses complain that the conditions in which they work do not allow them to respond to such complaints.
The report also identifies that the health authorities have failed to address these systemic issues which result in such complaints and grievances.
According to the Human Rights Watch, the lack of transparency and accountability are recurring problems within the South African public health system and are contributing to the frightening maternal mortality rates in the country.
The report calls for immediate government action and intervention in the Eastern Cape and in broader South Africa.
The South African Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said that the problem lies in the management of Public hospitals and that internal audits will need to be conducted to evaluate the management systems in place.
Motsoaledi emphasised the importance of expertise in the health care system, especially with maternal care. “Maternal health does not only require clinical treatment, experts such as gynaecologists and paediatricians are also needed in the field,” he says.