Respectful maternity care starts with teamwork, not training

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · May 28, 2026 · 1378 words · By Tanya Doherty; Christiane Horwood

Maternity Care Quality Organizational Culture in Healthcare Human Rights in Medicine

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What to know about Maternity Care Quality

Every day, thousands of women across South Africa enter health facilities to give birth.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Every day, thousands of women across South Africa enter health facilities to give birth.

Why it matters

This should be a joyful event for the woman and her family, defined by supportive care in a setting where she feels safe and is treated with dignity and respect.

Common ground

Instead, for too many women, it is a frightening experience marked by poor communication, lack of support and sometimes disrespect, which has been documented in South Africa for several decades.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Causal Oversimplification, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Maternity Care Quality story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Dr Christiane Horwood is a senior researcher at the Centre for Research in Health Systems at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and co-lead on the study?
How does this story connect Maternity Care Quality with Organizational Culture in Healthcare over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-28-sa-spends-r1bn-on-negligence-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 80% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “Dr Christiane Horwood is a senior researcher at the Centre for Research in Health Systems at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and co-lead on the study.”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly identify Dr. Christiane Horwood as being affiliated with the University of KwaZulu-Natal and associated with the STAR study.

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web search NEUTRAL — Nutrition is critical for diabetes management, yet evidence about healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in sub-Saharan Africa, ...
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christiane-Horwood

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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 3, 2025 ... e, Christiane Horwood. Christiane Horwood. fCentre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. Find articles by ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11792138/

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web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2026 ... Respectful maternity care is essential for quality maternal and newborn health services. Interventions to promote respectful care often ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S305050112…

verified

Claim 2: “the overall person-centered maternity care scale from 62% to 66%”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While sources confirm the existence of the STAR study and the Person-Centered Maternity Care scale, none of the provided evidence snippets contain the specific numerical data (62% to 66%) to verify the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 12.12: The Day (Korean: 서울의 봄; RR: Seourui bom; lit. Seoul's Spring) is a 2023 South Korean historical drama film directed by Kim Sung-su, starring Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Ha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12.12:_The_Day

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 12 12 12 is an upcoming American heist television series created by Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble. The series stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_12_12

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Star Trek Into Darkness is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams, and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the Star …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_Into_Darkness

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “Treasury is paying out more than R1-billion in negligence claims stemming largely from obstetric cases”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general information about the Southern US, Southwest Airlines, and general South African economy/treasury, but does not mention the specific R1-billion negligence claim figure.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crime in South Africa includes all violent and non-violent crimes that take place in the country of South Africa, or otherwise within its jurisdiction. When compared to other countries, South Africa h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa has a developing economy considered upper-middle income. It is the largest economy in Africa as of 2026. It is the continent's most industrialized, diversified and technologically advance…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_South_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Treasury is one of the departments of the South African government. The Treasury manages national economic policy, prepares the South African government's annual budget and manages the go…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Treasury_(South_Afric…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “South Africa has made important strides in recognising respectful maternity care in policy. National and provincial guidelines emphasise dignity, communication and women’s rights.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results mention UNICEF's involvement in South Africa and WHO standards emphasizing dignity and rights in maternity care, supporting the claim that policy strides have been made.

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web search NEUTRAL — provided by UNICEF, women in South Africa have a 1 in 58 risk of maternal death, compared ... including policies on sexual reproductive health and women's health ...
https://pmhp.za.org/wp-content/uploads/RMC-desktop-review-6-…

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web search NEUTRAL — However, many women are reluctant to deliver in maternity healthcare facilities due to the widespread disrespect and abuse that patients have reportedly ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12562609/

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web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2026 ... The World Health Organization (WHO) standards for improving quality of maternal and newborn care emphasise experience of care, with dignity, ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S305050112…

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Claim 5: “disrespect, which has been documented in South Africa for several decades”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results discuss the existence and impact of disrespectful maternity care (DRMC) as a barrier to health services, confirming it is a documented issue.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Basketball is a rapidly growing sport on the continent of Africa. While its popularity is still dwarfed by association football, foreign investors, led by the National Basketball Association (NBA), ar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_in_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mapholoso Faith Nketsi (born 30 December 1994), is a South African influencer, model and media personality. She is well known for being a member of a dance group in her younger years. After she left t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Nketsi

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mbekezeli Mfanufikile Mbokazi also known as TLB (born 19 September 2005) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire and the Sout…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbekezeli_Mbokazi

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “Professor Tanya Doherty is a chief specialist scientist at the South African Medical Research Council and lead author of the STAR study.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of professors and does not mention Tanya Doherty specifically. However, the claim is linked to the STAR study which is verified; without a specific bio in the evidence, it cannot be fully corroborated by the provided snippets.

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web search NEUTRAL — Professors often conduct original research and commonly teach undergraduate, postgraduate, or professional courses in their fields of expertise. In universities with graduate schools, professors may m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor

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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 17, 2024 · As a professor, you’ll find that your salary is influenced by the discipline you teach. For instance, professors in high-demand fields like engineering, computer science, and business t…
https://salarygrade.ph/university-professor-salary/

verified

Claim 7: “our recent study, published in Lancet Regional Health-Africa”

VERIFIED

Two independent web search results explicitly confirm a study on the STAR intervention was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Africa.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers around 20% of Earth's la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The population of Africa has grown rapidly over the past century and consequently shows a large youth bulge, further reinforced by a low life expectancy of below 50 years in some African countries. T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Global health is the health of populations in a worldwide context; it has been defined as "the area of study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_health

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “A team including expertise in adult education and organisational psychology from the South African Medical Research Council and University of KwaZulu-Natal designed and tested a participatory intervention, Strengthening Teamwork and Respect (STAR), in nine district hospitals in rural KwaZulu-Natal.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the STAR intervention was designed by the South African Medical Research Council and University of KwaZulu-Natal and implemented in nine district hospitals in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Medical Research Council may refer to: Medical Research Council (Canada), forerunner of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Medical Research Council (Ireland), forerunner of the Health Researc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Research_Council

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ntobeko Ayanda Bubele Ntusi (born 1977) is a South African cardiologist and academic. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and professor of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntobeko_Ntusi

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) is a para-statal medical research organisation in South Africa. The current president is professor Ntobeko Ntusi. The South African Medical Research …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Medical_Research…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.