Gauteng Health apologizes for baby swap

Two Gauteng mothers received trauma counselling after their newborn babies were accidentally swapped at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Pretoria. The Gauteng Department of Health apologised on Thursday and announced that the baby who was mistakenly discharged with the wrong mother was reunited with his biological mother as reported by IOL. The mother had given birth to a baby boy on Monday and was discharged the following day with the wrong baby. A security official discovered the mix-up and alerted the nursing staff.

The Gauteng Department of Health revealed that the hospital staff did not follow standard operating procedures while discharging the mother and her baby. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the mother had been discharged with the wrong baby. The mother was immediately followed to her home, and the baby was brought back to the hospital to resolve the matter. Health checks were conducted on the baby before reuniting him with his biological mother.

The second patient, a 31-year-old mother, is still admitted to the hospital as her child was mistakenly released to the wrong family. She was alerted about the mistake and later reunited with her baby. The Gauteng Department of Health stated that both families affected by the baby swap incident are receiving trauma counselling, while also agreeing to undergo DNA and related tests to bring about a resolution to the matter. Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, expressed her apologies to the families and appreciated the security officer’s promptness. The department has vowed to take corrective measures to avoid any future occurrences of such incidents.

Photo: Facebook /@Nomantu Nkomo Ralehoko