Mom's hospital negligence claim gets OK

Johannesburg - A mother whose daughter was born a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy can proceed with a damages claim against Mpumalanga's health MEC, the Citizen newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled that, despite not giving notice to sue the MEC within the legally prescribed time, Sarona Magoba could go ahead with her claim.

Magoba's daughter was born at Witbank Hospital in 2004. The girl suffered her first epileptic fit at six months. Doctors confirmed the baby was brain damaged and suggested the cause could be negligence at the time of the birth, when the daughter was deprived of oxygen.

In court papers, Magoba said she was not given adequate help during her protracted labour and her daughter's heart rate was not consistently monitored. Two days later, Magoba underwent an emergency Caesarean section, which was itself delayed.