1. The Minority Front welcomes the EFF debate on forced sterilization which is inhumane, hence the MF’s human rights approach to this debate. There are reports by Amnesty International on abuses of HIV positive mothers in our hospitals.
2. The MF holds the reproductive rights guaranteed by our Constitution and Legislation to women as sacrosanct.
3. The cases quoted in the CGE report occurred in our public hospitals, hence each of the 48 women’s cases needs to be investigated by the National Health Ombudsman. I have always motioned that HIV/AIDS should be made Notifiable for valid reasons of ensuring patients’ rights. Postpartum haemorrhage which is life threatening to the mothers’ was some of the reasons given.
4. There is a monograph of the Management of Postpartum Haemorrhage by the Health Systems Trust and the exact procedure to be followed. Ethics is a big part of this, hence patient consent violations cripples our Health Departments with medical litigation.
5. Furthermore for every obstetric event or problem, just like in maternal or child deaths, there’s an Events Committee which should be audited annually by the NDOH or the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC). The Provincial Health Committee can place the annual Confidential Enquiry into Maternal deaths in South Africa Report on the agenda which covers adverse events.
6. Hon. Speaker, recently I undertook a dissertation on “Assessing patient safety Culture in Maternity Obstetric units in the uMgungundlovu District which contains recommendations on how to improve MOU’s to meet norms and standards, above general accreditation. Moreover, patient safety regulations are required for building patient trust in our public health sector.
7. Most importantly functioning governance structures like Hospital boards, patient safety committees, Maternal Death Review committee and Adverse Events Committee must be monitored.
8. The MF calls on the Hon. Speaker to undertake a Speakers oversight visit to maternity units in KZN in 2021 and bring about awareness of the Patients’ Rights Charter. The MF supports this debate.
9. Thank you.

Hon. S. Thakur-Rajbansi