The situation at the Ndlovu 24 hour medical Clinic – reporting at 11h00 Thursday, August 26, 2010

The situation at the Maternity Clinic at the Ndlovu Medical Centre in Elandsdoorn is even more critical than before, with an additional number of 44 deliveries in the past three days.  As I write this report there are 8 deliveries in progress and numbers of patients in various stages of labour lining the corridor of the small clinic.  In all, the total of patients delivered since last week Thursday afternoon stands at 94.  Three infant deaths have been reported – 1 infant was already deceased upon arrival at the clinic, one was a macerated delivery and another was very prematurely delivered and died at birth.  There is one infant still in the incubator – transferred from Philedelphia Hospital, but the rest of the infants are all healthy and well.

Besides the maternity patients, the 24hour unit also have 6 patients in very seriously compromised stages of illnesses who also need constant care and attention.

The Maternity unit has been inundated with patients from far and wide.  Patients as far away as Waterval, Nogaldi, Phaahla, Mototema and Tweefontein have been registered.  These areas fall outside the 100km radius of Elandsdoorn.  Many patients are already in the final stages of labour when arriving at the clinic and the clinic has only two Sisters and three Nurses per 12 hour shift.  This puts tremendous pressure on the two Sisters who have to do every delivery.  Two of the 12 Hour Clinic’s sisters have been allocated to the maternity unit to administer PMTCT and the ARV’s allocated to the 12 Hour Clinic have been put to use for these cases.

Two caesarean section births has had to be referred and transferred to the Mamelodi Day Hospital.  This meant that one of the qualified sisters on duty had to accompany the patient in the ambulance in each case.  The trips to Mamelodi were made with the Ndlovu Ambulance and in each case one Sister was fully occupied for a full 10 hours and the maternity clinic was minus one qualified person.

Another problem that has cropped up, is that the locum midwives are insisting on increased fees, opportunistically taking advantage of the situation.  On the other hand, many of the patients simply have not the means to pay even the minimal fee required and subsequently are delivered free of charge or at what they can afford.  Not one patient has been shown away and every patient has been attended to with meticulous and professional care.

Patients are also provided with meals and a locum cook has been appointed to take night shifts to provide meals throughout.  The cost of an extra cook and extra food is an encumbrance on the already heavily burdened financial situation carried by the Ndlovu Care Group.  The cleaners who only work in day-shifts have been re-allocated to night shifts and fortunately no extra costs have been incurred to appoint more staff for these tasks, but as with the nursing personnel, the cleaners have worked extremely hard and diligently. 

The question is, for how long will these people be able to work continuously?  All are bone-tired and we have to give tremendous credit to the unrelenting and uncomplaining way these Ndlovu stalwarts have bravely faced each challenge.