A pregnant woman who was seven months along in her pregnancy committed suicide in a hospital bathroom, according to the Gauteng Department of Health in South Africa.
Refilwe Thamae, 25, hanged herself on Saturday in a restroom at Kopanong District Hospital in Vererniging, Sedibeng, using a scarf as a hangman.
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The suicide incident was unfortunate, according to a statement released on Tuesday, September 12 by Motalatale Modiba, a spokesperson for the Gauteng Health Department.
The woman, who was 29 weeks pregnant, was brought to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency unit on Friday, September 8, by emergency medical services personnel, according to Modiba, who described the circumstances that led to her demise.
Her mother had accompanied her.
Because of patient-doctor confidentiality, the Department is unable to discuss the patient’s abnormal behavior because the mother disclosed it at the time of admission, according to Modiba.
She was over seven months pregnant when she was diagnosed, he said, so she was then admitted to the maternity ward.
According to Modiba, the doctor recommended sedation, which was given, and restraints were used.
“The patient was later nursed in a side ward due to her condition being triggered by crying babies,” he claimed.
The nursing staff noticed that the patient was not in her bed in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Modiba.
They discovered the patient hanging in the bathroom wearing her headscarf after searching for her, he said.
According to Modiba, the incident was reported to SAPS, and an inquest has been started.
As this case is considered a patient safety incident, the Gauteng Department of Health’s Quality Assurance unit will also carry out an internal investigation, he added.
A maximum of 60 days are anticipated for the internal processes to be finished.
This was separate from the SAPS investigation, according to Modiba.
“The Department has already expressed its condolences to the patient’s bereaved family and has arranged for counseling services for both the family and the staff at the Kopanong District Hospital,” the official continued
