RFM OVERWHELMED BY PREGNANT WOMEN

MANZINI – Expectant mothers need to pray extra hard for the Mbabane Government Hospital Maternity Ward to start operating soon.

After the closure of the Maternity Ward at the hospital, the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital in no longer capable of handling the influx of women who have reached their delivery dates. The newly-renovated Mbabane Government Hospital Maternity Ward was recently closed indefinitely after heavy rains, which caused part of the ceiling to collapse. According to well-placed sources within the RFM Hospital, staff members including nurses, doctors and support staff among others, are no longer capable of handling the number of heavily pregnant women who are due for delivery at the hospital. Since the beginning of March to date, the hospital has had 738 deliveries, when it normally takes about 600 a month, including C-sections. This shows that the hospital has taken care of an extra 138 deliveries, yet they are expected to use the same resources.

This was confirmed by the hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Benjamin Simelane, yesterday. It was gathered that the hospital maternity ward delivery section has only three beds, the other three were used for high risk patients.
Such beds are not enough for the piling number of patients at the hospital, and as a results, patients have been shifted to the waiting wards, called, ‘waiting huts’. This is where heavily pregnant women awaiting labour or operations in the form of C-sections are kept. In the theatre, material has allegedly run out due to the influx of pregnant women due for C-sections. The material include drapes (large pieces of clothing used to cover patients during surgeries) and also instrument sets. Instrument sets comprises scissors, needle holders, hooks, blades, blade holders, micro-instruments, metal trays and suture forceps among others.

It was gathered that such instrument sets were taken to the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) to be cleaned and sterilised, however, they run out on a day-to-day due to the number of patients due for operations at the hospital.
“We find ourselves running out of such instruments and drapes, especially during the night. To normalise the situation, we find ourselves using disposable drapes which were donated to the hospital and also other alternative ways,” a source said. Another issue currently faced by the hospital is that women who are prepared for C-sections are ordered not to have meals after a certain time before operations, as per the norm. However, due to the number of patients currently admitted and scheduled for such operations, such patients find themselves starving for more hours, as they do not get to be attended to in time.

Well-placed sources revealed that the hospital had run out of space in all the departments which dealt with delivery issues. It was also gathered that the operational and delivery wards had run out of space as there are limited beds.
It was also alleged that some pregnant women were made to share a bed on Friday, as the hospital had run out of space.

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