Pregnant Gauteng Woman Found Hanging in Hospital Bathroom in Vereeniging, Mzansi Raises Concerns

• A 25-year-old pregnant woman was sadly found hanging in a bathroom at Kopanong District Hospital in Vereeniging over the weekend
• The woman's mother said her daughter displayed signs of mental health issues when she was admitted
• The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) spoke to Briefly News about how the young woman was failed
• South Africans have weighed in on the pregnant woman's tragic death, with some raising questions about her care

VEREENIGING - A 25-year-old woman was found hanging in a bathroom at Kopanong District Hospital in Vereeniging, Sedibeng, on Saturday morning, 9 September.

According to the Gauteng Department of Health, the woman was 29 weeks pregnant when she went to the hospital for medical treatment. Her mother escorted her.

Pregnant woman exhibited weird behaviour

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TimesLIVE reported that the pregnant woman's mother told the hospital staff that her daughter had been displaying abnormal behaviour. The young woman was then seen by a doctor who sedated her and admitted her to the maternity ward in restraints after an assessment.

The pregnant woman was later moved to another ward because the crying babies triggered her condition.

Pregnant woman found hanging from her scarf

The department said that a nurse checked on the woman on Saturday morning, but she was not in her bed. Hospital staff then began searching the rest of the hospital and found the young woman hanging on the bathroom door from her headscarf.

Speaking to News24, Kedibone Thamae, the woman's mother, said her daughter displayed signs of mental illness when admitted.

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Thamae said her daughter begged her not to leave after admission, but she told the young woman that she would return the following day. That was the last time she saw her daughter alive.

The mother added that her daughter had been excited to be pregnant because she had suffered two miscarriages previously.

A spokesperson for the department, Motalatale Modiba, said police have opened an inquest docket into Thamae's daughter's death.

Trade union says alleged suicide of young woman could have been prevented

The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) issued a statement regarding the alleged suicide of the 26-year-old woman. HAITU secretary-general Lerato Mthunzi spoke exclusively to Briefly News about the tragic incident.

Mthunzi explained that HAITU believes Refilwe's life could have been spared if proper procedures were followed.

She said when the family called EMS explaining Refilwe's erratic behaviour, the young lady was supposed to have been taken to a facility that could handle mental health issues.

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Mthunzi said EMS should have taken her to Sebokeng Hospital and not Kopanong District Hospital because it was the closest facility. She added that Kopanong does not have the capacity to deal with female mental health issues.

"As soon as the doctors and the nurses assessed the patient, they needed to refer her outside the hospital. It is unclear why this did not happen, and decided to keep her," said Mthunzi.

Mthunzi questioned the reasons Refilwe was kept in a maternity ward while suffering from mental health issues because she was a danger to herself, and it was a trigger.

Mthunzi said hospitals need to be equipped to treat mental health issues, especially after the Life Esidimeni disaster that saw the deaths of 100s of mental health patients.

She said had Kopanong been properly equipped, the patient would have not been allowed to go to the bathroom without supervision.

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South Africans react to the pregnant woman's death

Xhoba Phumzi Mbiyo said:

"But if a patient had to be sedated and all, clearly she was showing signs of suicide or the possibility of being a threat to herself. What measures were taken to limit the avenues for this patient to take their life? In fact, one can argue that she should have been immediately admitted to an appropriate facility."

Spha Alwande said:

"The province as a whole needs prayers."

Umphando Ka Darkie

"Just like that in the hospital toilet. Anyway, CCTV cameras will show if she was alone."

Jimmy James Msangaambe said:

"Very sad development."

Jackals Bravo said:

"No woman, no cry. Have mercy God."

Louis du Plooy said:

"That place is a horror show..."

Pregnant woman dies due to healthcare worker strike

Briefly News previously reported that a seven-month pregnant woman died after allegedly being denied medical treatment at a healthcare facility.

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Thandokuhle Mlotshwa was involved in a hit-and-run accident while on her way to a routine hospital visit. She later died from her injuries after allegedly being denied access to the Northdale Hospital due to striking healthcare workers.

The 30-year-old victim was left reeling in pain on a hospital stretcher while paramedics tried to seek medical attention for her.

Source: Briefly News