NURSES WASH GOWNS AT LILLAN NGOYI MATERNITY CLINIC

Nurses at the maternity section of the Lillian Ngoyi Clinic in Soweto have to wash their gowns at home instead of them being properly sterilised according to good hygienic practice.

I discovered this when I visited the clinic yesterday.

Disgruntled nurses told me that that the gowns used to be sterilised at the autoclave machine at the nearby Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital, but that this had stopped three years ago.

I am amazed that this has not been rectified for such a long time as the danger of infection is raised if gowns are not sterilised. Simple washing is not good enough, which means that women and babies at this clinic are exposed to unnecessary danger.

I have written to Gauteng Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe to intervene in this distressing matter (see letter below).

Text of letter:

From: Jack Bloom 
Sent: 04 January 2012 10:10 AM
To: Lentheng Mekgwe
Subject: UNSTERILISED GOWNS AT LILLIAN NGOYI CLINIC MATERNITY

Dear MEC Mekgwe,

I visited the Lillian Ngoyi Clinic yesterday and discovered that nurses at the maternity section have to wash their gowns at home instead of them being properly sterilised according to good hygienic practice.

This has been the case for about three years. Previously the gowns were sterilised at the autoclave machine at the nearby Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital.

Home washing is obviously highly unsatisfactory as it increases the risk of infection for mothers and new-born babies.

Please investigate this urgently and take the necessary action.

Yours sincerely,

Jack Bloom

MPL

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, January 4 2011

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