ANSWERS NEEDED ON BABY DEATHS AT JOBURG HOSPITAL

Honest answers are needed about the deaths of five babies at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

The deaths are an immense tragedy that are worsened by the fact that they took place at one of South Africa's leading hospitals.

It appears that the diarrhoea infection was acquired from outside, perhaps introduced by visitors.

There can be no compromise on infection control, both by staff and visitors.

Whatever hygiene lessons are learned from this incident should be applied to all hospitals in the country.

The DA expresses our condolences to the families. They have been sadly let down by our health system, and we can only hope that steps are taken to ensure that this does not happen again.

Statement  by Jack Bloom. MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, May 19 2010

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