Masuku said premature birth was the main reason for the increase in the number of deaths.
The Gauteng health department says measures have been put in place to strengthen infection prevention and control.Baby deaths have soared at Dr George Mukhari Hospital, near Ga-Rankuwa north of Pretoria, in the past five years, while the number of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit decreased.
The deaths rose from 232 in 2013 to 302 deaths in 2018. The ICU number decreased from 2,239 in 2013 to 1,604 in 2018, Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku told DA shadow health MEC Jack Bloom, who said he was shocked at the numbers. “These premature babies are more prone to complications. They stay longer in the ward and the management is more complex. I am also concerned that 140 babies died of klebsiella last year compared with 48 klebsiella deaths in 2013. This is a three-fold increase,” Bloom said.“The final cause of death in these patients would need a record review to make an accurate final cause of death.
“Systems are in place to prevent infections and no definite source of infection was identified at the time,” Masuku said.
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