A former Pretoria midwife appeared briefly in court last week facing a barrage of assault charges after years of malpractice allegations related to her handling of births.
The matter was postponed for the state to finalise an indictment and will be transferred to the High Court for trial, reports News24.
Yolande Maritz, owner of You & Me Birthing Centre in Pretoria, made headlines in 2020 after allegations of malpractice linked to the deaths of babies she had delivered.
She was deregistered in 2021 after the South African Nursing Council found her guilty of negligent and unprofessional behaviour. She appealed the ruling, but her case was dismissed.
Charges
Maritz has now been criminally charged with 10 counts of assault and contravening the Nursing Act.
The charge sheet accuses her of allegedly acting callously towards pregnant mothers, administering harmful drugs without their consent or knowledge, and failing to properly support, monitor and assist the mothers during labour.
In July 2019, Maritz allegedly assaulted an expectant mother, Carien Möller, by injecting her with oxytocin in each leg against her will. The drug is used to induce labour.
She also allegedly made Möller drink a bottle of water mixed with Cytotec without her knowledge.
Cytotec is used to prevent stomach ulcers and, if given to pregnant women may cause birth defects, abortion, premature labour or rupture of the uterus.
The charge sheet further states that Maritz assaulted Möller’s newborn baby girl by failing to protect her from severe physical injuries while under her care during labour and birth, as well as not transporting her to the hospital for emergency medical treatment. The child has cerebral palsy.
Maritz also allegedly gave Cytotec to another pregnant patient, Alysia Von Kloëg, and is accused of failing to properly monitor, support and assist her during labour in 2019, and did not refer her to a specialist when it became known that the foetus she was carrying was not growing or gaining weight as expected.
She is also charged with the assault of Von Kloëg’s newborn baby boy, as she allegedly refused to contact emergency services during labour until the family paid R3 000, and failed to summon emergency services after he was born very small, blue, and did not cry or breathe properly.
The infant died nine days after birth.
Maritz has also been charged with the assault of a third pregnant woman.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
‘Midwife’ and MEC sued after death of twins
Experts call for urgent midwife training as poor nursing costs state millions
SA targets cerebral palsy claims to staunch flood of negligence actions