FRONTIER OF DEATH! Babies Die, Mothers Left to Bleed: Hospital of Horror Exposed!

Staff negligence, rude staff, ignoring of patients, patients sleeping on the floor and poor food quality at Frontier Hospital in Komani in the Eastern Cape continues to affect patients despite ongoing calls for the province to address the facility’s needs.

SOME LOST THEIR BABIES

A number of patients have gone on social media to raise their experience where some lost their babies and some even lost their family members due to negligence at the hospital.

A week long investigation by Komani News, has revealed cases of negligence, death of newborn babies and even their mothers at the hospital.

Patients left unattended from midnight until 9am and some even slept on the floor from 1am waiting for x-ray to open at 8am.

SLEEPY STAFF

Other complaints made include staff allegedly sleeping on the job at night, patients being told they are acting sick, poor medical judgement, and long waiting times.

To add to these ongoing problems, the hospital does not have a CEO, Komani Psychiatric Hospital CEO is also the acting CEO of the hospital.

The food at the hospital is not good as some patients complained that they are bread and slip and over cooked chicken and rice.

The patients claim sometimes there would be no one to dish for them and security guards would be asked to dish food for them.

FORCED TO GIVE BIRTH NATURALLY

Komani News spoke to a number of patients who experienced negligence at the hospital.

Thandokazi Blandile (37) lost her newborn baby due to alleged negligence at Frontier Hospital.

Despite being transferred from Hewu Hospital for a C-section, Blandile claims she was forced to give birth naturally, resulting in the death of her child and severe injury to herself.

Babalwa Frans (26), a of two, tragically passed away after giving birth via C-section on November 4, 2025.

Her family is still demanding answers from the department of health after complications that required her to undergo three operations after giving birth via C-section on 29 September 2029.

Unathi Debese’s five-month-old child was allegedly ignored at Frontier Hospital, leading to severe complications.

SEVERE BLEEDING

“In May, my child got sick and after being ignored when the child could not breathe, a drip needle was inserted incorrectly which led to severe bleeding. When I asked for help they ignored me,” she said.

Debese said the staff apologised after she confronted them.

Siyamthanda Sindelo shared a traumatic experience of being ignored and mistreated while giving birth, resulting in the loss of her child in 2018.

“They shouted at me and my child bridged. They tried to turn the child, but I collapsed when they took me to the theatre. My child had injuries and he died. They told me my child died because of the condition I was in when I gave birth,” she said.

BOTHCED OPERATION

Siyanda Sinethe’s experience with an ectopic pregnancy was marked by poor care, including a botched operation that left her with internal injuries.

She said she was taken to Frontier after experiencing abdominal pains, where it was discovered that she had an ectopic pregnancy.

“An operation was done and she was discharged. The stitches later ripped and my intestines came out. I had to use a head wrap to keep them in my stomach,” she said.

She said she had to be restitched as the first operation was done wrongly.

Department of health spokesperson Siyanda Manana did not respond to the questions sent to him.