A mother’s alarming experience reveals issues in Tygerberg Hospital’s maternity care

An untidy section in the maternity ward of Tygerberg Hospital. A recent experience in the maternity ward at Tygerberg Hospital has left new mother Leechae Abrahams alarmed and concerned about the standards of patient care and cleanliness at the facility. After attending the hospital throughout her pregnancy, Abrahams gave birth in November 2025 and returned for an overnight stay with her newborn.

Abrahams had found that the conditions had not improved since her previous visits. According to Abrahams, there was a severe lack of assistance, with very few nurses and doctors available to attend to patients. She also described the hospital environment as unhygienic and neglected.

“There was no assistance or help for hours, very few nurses and doctors available to patients, and no concern for the filth in the hospital,” she said. She explained that her experiences both during her pregnancy and leading up to the birth were unpleasant and frightening, as she constantly feared that either she or her baby could become ill or die due to the conditions in the ward. “These are the beds that came out for us,” said new mom Leechae Abrahams, describing her experience at the Tygerberg Hospital maternity ward. Abrahams described the ward she stayed in as “filthy and disgusting”, adding that even after being moved to a different ward, the situation did not improve.