Six babies died at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in May. An investigation into the deaths found no-one liable despite the isolation of the norovirus which is known to be spread via contaminated hands. If there is no-one that can be blamed, are we then to believe that these deaths were an act of God? ↲

the investigation found that while no person could be found at fault, various factors contributed to the deaths. Among these were overcrowding, understaffing and a lack of infection control equipment such as hand sanitisers and paper-tow

having taken the above into consideration, it is plausible that these babies might not have died had the health care workers caring for them washed their hands. The health care workers might have washed their hands had there been an adequate supply of infection control equipment. There might have been adequate equipment had the relative staff ordered more stock. There might have been more stock ordered had there been an allocated budget/ funds availabl
This is an almost infinite chain of thinking. A chain that leads nowhere and finds no-one liable.↲↲

Now, new claims by the parents of these babies which include that they were found in soiled incubators has resulted in the case being reopened. ↲
Will a new investigation pin blame for the simple reason that two blame-less outcomes or even one highly contested one puts the investigators job
Or will a new investigation reveal much of the same ie. that understaffing and overcrowding (which can not be pinned on one individual or party) are to blame?

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Sadiyya Sheik

Sadiyya is a writer in a doctors coat, looking for a calling and grumbling about public health.

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