The Gauteng Department of Health in South Africa has confirmed the suicide of a pregnant woman in a hospital bathroom.

The 25-year-old woman, identified as Refilwe Thamae, who was seven months pregnant, tragically took her own life by hanging herself with her scarf in a bathroom at Kopanong District Hospital in Vereeniging, Sedibeng, on a fateful Saturday.

Motalatale Modiba, a spokesperson for the Gauteng Health Department, expressed deep regret over the suicide incident.

Modiba revealed that the woman, who was at 29 weeks of pregnancy, had been brought to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency unit by emergency medical services personnel on Friday, September 8, accompanied by her mother.

Providing insight into the events leading up to the tragic incident, Modiba explained that the patient had displayed abnormal behavior, details of which cannot be disclosed due to patient-doctor confidentiality.

Following a diagnosis, she was admitted to the maternity ward due to her advanced pregnancy.

Modiba further revealed that the doctor had prescribed sedation and restraints, which were administered to the patient. She was later placed in a side ward because the presence of crying babies had exacerbated her condition.

During the early hours of Saturday morning, nursing staff discovered that the patient was missing. Upon searching for her, they made the horrifying discovery of her lifeless body hanging in the bathroom, her headscarf used as a means of self-harm.

Modiba informed that the incident had been reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS), and an inquest had been initiated.

The Gauteng Department of Health’s Quality Assurance unit would conduct an internal investigation, classifying the case as a Patient Safety Incident.

These internal procedures are expected to conclude within 60 days, independently of the SAPS investigation.