National Hostital and Pelonomi Hospital

National Hospital and Pelonomi Hospital Heidedal Bloemfontein

Worst service ever, from start to finish. My partner was pregnant, and overdue, so we went to the Government/Public Hospital (National Hospital) in the morning hours (between 10:00 and 02:30) of Saturday the 29th of August 2020, we waited for the nurses/doctors to come help us, as my partner was in severe pain and the contractions unbearable. No one attended to us for about 3 to 3 and half hours....when they finally attended to us, they were pathetically slow, there was no privacy in the room they attended us in, it was super cold, we were near a labor room where 3 women gave birth that day, and we could hear everything, which can be traumatizing for a first time mom, hearing all those screams from the other women. There was another lady that went to the bathroom, and ended up giving birth in there....there was blood all over the floor....and no one bothered to come and clean the blood. Where is the hygiene in that, we're facing a pandemic now, and they simply don't care.

They then told me that I'm not allowed to be there with my partner, I need to leave the facility, I didn't understand that at all, because the rules under Level 2 states that a partner is allowed to be with her partner through the entire duration for support.

They took forever to check the baby's heart beat....when they finally did, they advised us that we need to go to Pelonomi hospital, but I had already left by then, they transported her to Pelonomi, but the driver of that bus was driving like a mad person, how can you drive like that with a pregnant woman in the bus, he simply doesn't care or take other's lives seriously.

My partner got about 6:00 in the morning of Saturday Pelonomi Hospital, they didn't do much as well, firstly my partner is at risk, because the baby is overdue and they told us that there are other patients that are a higher risk than her. I went to check up on her at about 9:00 I think, they told me that I'm not supposed to be there at that time, the visiting hours are only between 15:00 to 15:30, that was something that I couldn't comprehend, I questioned them, but they did not give an answer, instead they kept on telling me about Covid-19, I eventually left, I came back at the said time, and guess what, my partner was still lying there, at the very same bed I left her in the morning, still not given birth, she was hungry, thirsty and dehydrated. I asked them when will they give her attention, I ended up talking to one of the Doctors who explained to me that they only have 1 theatre, and minimal Doctors to help out, I asked where is their back up, Doctors on call, she said they do not have.

So I left again at 15:30, because the visiting hours were over, I was very angry and disappointed, the very same people that pledged to take care and put lives of patients first, were not living to their pledge. I cam home....sat a bit...at about 19:46 I received a call from my partner that she has given birth. I told her that I will come the next morning with something for her to eat and drink.

I went to the hospital the next morning about 08:00 or 09:00 I think, I spoke with 2 security guards women, I explained to them my reason for the visit, they told me that I need to go to the Nurses and explain to them why I was there, which I did do, I went to one of the Nurses that was there in the Postpartum ward, I explained to her and also told her that the security guards told me to go to them, she got confused at first and told me that the security guards are the ones that must accompany me to my partner, not them, she said I must go to them and tell them that.

So I asked to come with me, because those security guards might not believe me, she started raising her voice at me, and I asked her to speak with me in a respectful and calm manner, she went on and on that I'm not allowed to visit at this time, and I kept on telling her that I am not visiting, I am here to drop off items for my partner, she said she will take them to her, I then told her that she doesn't even know her, and I want to take them myself because I want to make sure she got them, she started screaming at me, and I also got over excited cause I've been calm the entire time.

I asked to speak to her superior, she didn't even care that I'm looking for her superior, instead she kept on saying "go ahead and report me, I don't care, go ahead, there are the details on the wall, go ahead", all her colleagues were staring nd just passing by, no one bothered to pause and ask what the matter is, instead they just went on about as if nothing is happening.

Eventually one of the Doctors came by, asked me what's happening, I explained to her, then she went with me to the security guards and told them that that's not the procedure there, and they know it, why did they not accompany me and not send me to the Nurses, their response was "we always get shouted at, as if we are kids when we accompany people to the patients"

The Doctor then asked them who shouts at them, and they said the other Nurses. The Doctor asked me if she can take the snacks I brought for my partner to her, and asked me what her name was, I said it's ohk, seeing that she speaks with me in a calmer manner and try to resolve the issue, I then asked if I can just see my partner and baby to make sure that they are ohk, she said I'm not allowed to, what she can do is just call her to the front and greet her from there, which we did do.

It was a horrible experience for all three of us, from one bad hospital to the worst one, we don't deserve this kind of treatment from our health protectors, we deserve much much better, it's not as if we are in their mercy, like they help us but again they don't want to. I pray and hope that things will change for the better for the younger generation not to go through such experiences we went through.