The Botshabelo Hospital in the Free State has temporarily suspended one of its services after the death of a child (4).

The young girl passed away after a tooth extraction procedure on Wednesday (10/7). Her mother accompanied her to the hospital where she lost her life. Free State Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi expressed sadness and urged the public to remain calm as the hospital expedites its investigation into the child’s death.

“We are subjecting this matter to a thorough adverse events investigation, as it is a very unusual occurrence. Our highly trained professional staff were in charge of this procedure and have done many procedures successfully on the same day and in previous times, resulting in happy children and satisfied parents,” said MEC Mahlatsi.

Provincial health spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi, conveyed the devastation felt by the clinical teams and announced the temporary closure of services for a thorough investigation.

“Understandably, this incident would have shocked the family, and nothing may immediately make sense to both the clinicians and the family, but the hospital is doing everything in its ability to get to the bottom of the matter so that the family can get answers and the clinicians can also clearly understand what might have gone wrong,” Mvambi stated.

Mvambi emphasised that this was the first adverse event in nearly four years of successful children’s tooth extractions at the hospital, which has benefited over a thousand patients and satisfied parents. He highlighted that the Botshabelo District Hospital is one of the high-performing health facilities in the Free State, despite its location serving a densely populated and vast uninsured population.

Mvambi reiterated that while the clinical community is devastated by the incident, it should not negatively impact the hospital’s reputation. “The incident must never be allowed to dent the image of the hospital that will still need to continue meeting the needs of many people dependent on it,” he said. Mahlatsi expressed heartfelt condolences to the family and assured the public that the investigation would be concluded swiftly.

This is not the first time Botshabelo Hospital has made headlines. Last year, patients and healthcare workers were left terrified after a snake slithered into one of the wards. Pest control members attempted to clean the ward, but the snake hid under the building in an inaccessible area.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cg