Casual Labourers Help Woman Deliver Baby at Hospital Gate After She Was Turned Away

• 21-year-old Anita Mshiwimana went to a hospital after experiencing labour pains but was turned away
• Anita said that the midwife had refused to help her unless she paid R209, which she did not have
• While leaving the hospital, the labour pains became too intense and she delivered her child with the help of her mother and casual labourers

Officials are investigating an incident in which a 21-year-old woman delivered her baby at the gate of a health facility after she was allegedly turned away.

Failing to pay R209 to midwife

Anita Mshiwimana was reportedly told to leave the Kitwe Health Centre in Uganda after failing to pay the midwife R209.

Anita said she was asked to leave the maternity ward at 9pm on Christmas and go to another hospital 50km away for failing to raise the midwife's money.

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“We arrived at the health facility at around 8pm on Saturday. She told me to leave the maternity ward, or I suffer the consequences because I failed to raise the [R209] she wanted," she told Daily Monitor.

Anita heeded the instructions and packed her bags, and left the facility. However, when she reached the gate, the pain became too much, and she had to give birth to her first child there.

“I could not go beyond the health facility’s gate because the pain was too much. So I sat at the gate for hours as my mother held me. I later gave birth with the help of my mother and some two men,” she said.

When the publication visited her at her home, metres away from the hospital, Anita said the baby came earlier than expected.Her mother said they walked out after realising the midwife would not help them.

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“She finally gave birth to a baby girl with the help of two casual labourers and myself,” she narrated.

Labourers call for help

The story went viral after the two labourers recorded audio which they later circulated on several WhatsApp groups calling for aid from the district authorities.

The midwife defended herself, saying she turned Anita away after noticing a scar on her stomach from previous surgery.

Oh baby: Mzansi welcomes 240 Christmas Day newborns with open arms

In other news about babies, Briefly News previously reported that a whopping 240 babies were born in the Eastern Cape on Christmas Day which saw an increase of nine babies compared to last year.

The first baby was born at 12:12am at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha and Settlers Hospital in Makhanda.

The report also quotes Health MEC Nomakosazana Meth saying the tally indicated an increase of nine babies compared to last year.

Source: Briefly News