A young woman of Madombidzha in the Sinthumule area gave birth on the back of a bakkie last Sunday, due to the alleged negligence of nurses at a local clinic.

The 20-year-old Lufuno Mulamu gave birth to a healthy baby girl, after she was denied assistance at the Madombidzha local clinic. Mulamu confirmed the incident and indicated that it was about 18:30 when she arrived at Madombidzha Clinic, accompanied by her neighbour, Mrs Mudzunga Phemula. Mrs Phemula eventually assisted her in giving birth to her second-born baby, a girl.

She added that the nurses who were on duty told her that she could not get assistance at the clinic, due to the fact that there was no electricity. "The labour pains were extremely severe by that time, and I could not stand on my feet. I sat at the gate while my neighbour was trying to negotiate with the nurses, who told the security not to open the gate, due to the fact that there was no electricity. The nurses at the clinic referred me to the Tshilwavhusiku Health Center, saying there were midwives who could assist me," revealed Mulamu.

The lady who assisted Mulamu to give birth to her baby girl, Mrs Mudzunga Phemula, told Mirror that the treatment they received at Madombidzha clinic was very bad. She indicated that she tried to stop passing taxis, but they did not stop. "Then I rushed to a nearby liquor store, where I was lucky to find a good Samaritan who had a bakkie. He offered to take us to the Tshilwavhusiku Health Centre, where nurses also told us that they couldn´t assist us, because of the lack of electricity."

"At the time we were negotiating with the nurses at the health center, Mulamu was lying on the ground, struggling. Though I called the police at the nearby police station, the nurses kept on refusing to assist us, sticking to the excuse of the power failure. We were forced to go back, thinking we would reach Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital for assistance, but the baby was already arriving. I assisted her in giving birth at the back of a bakkie," she said.

She added that the man who offered to help with his bakkie requested R300 for petrol, which has not yet been paid.

Nurses at the Madombidzha clinic dismissed claims that Mulamu was denied assistance. The supervisor at the clinic told Mirror that she was not aware of the incident and that journalists should talk to her superiors at the district office of the department of health and social development. In his reaction, the spokesperson of the department of health and social development in Limpopo, Mr Phuthi Seloba, said that the clinic had acted correctly, as they are not supposed to function if there is no electricity, due to the risks involved. He advised the public to go directly to hospitals in similar situations.

Cllr Humbulani Mashamba of Makhado Municipality visited Mulamu´s home on Monday to offer support. Community members who seemed to be very touched by the incident suggested that the department should also consider having stand-by generators.

Ms Mulamu has decided to call her daughter Precious.