‘BABY FELL OUT OF INCUBATOR’ - Tygerberg Hospital says there was no negligence by the staff

TYGERBERG Hospital has denied any negligence by their staff, after a family claimed that their newborn daughter fell out of an incubator at the institution. 

The parents of a tweeling went on Facebook to accuse the medical facility of negligence after one of the dogtertjies allegedly fell out of a “broken” incubator shortly after birth and was found by the mom lying face down on the floor.

Tygerberg Hospital has confirmed that it has conducted an internal review, with no fault on their part. 

The hospital stated that after a medical review of the claims, no evidence of negligence was found on the part of its staff who were identified in the incident. 

The hospital further warned that should the matter escalate into a medico-legal case, the merits of the saak could not be explored any further. 

The parents had asked for legal advice, detailing that after the alleged “fall”, no doctor informed them of the potential 

The Daily Voice’s sister newspaper, the Cape Argus, made extensive efforts to reach the parents for further comments after they took to social media a few days ago via Facebook, but was unsuccessful.

The father of the twins wrote: “I am writing to seek your assistance in a matter involving medical negligence at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, on January 22nd, 2026. 

“My fiancée gave birth to twin girls at the hospital, and they were placed in an incubator shortly after birth.

“Due to a broken incubator, the nurses moved our babies to another incubator that they knew was also faulty. When my fiancée returned from the bathroom, she found one of our daughters lying face down on the floor. The nurses failed to provide adequate supervision. 

No staff immediately attended to our child. The doctor who examined our baby later that day failed to inform us about the incident or the potential consequences of the fall. 

“When my mother-in-law asked about the baby’s condition, a nurse reassured her that the child was fine, despite our concerns. We are deeply concerned about the long-term effects of this incident on our child’s health and well-being. 

“Given the hospital’s lack of transparency and inadequate response, we believe they are liable for the harm caused to our child.

“We request that you review our case and advise on the best course of action. We are seeking compensation for the harm caused to our child and hold the hospital accountable for their negligence.”

In response, Tygerberg Hospital said: “The matter was reviewed internally in line with established patient safety protocols. Based on the information available to the hospital, no evidence of negligence on the part of staff was identified. 

“As this is a potential medico-legal matter involving a patient as well as her minor children, it would not be appropriate to discuss specific clinical details or internal processes in the media. The hospital has also engaged directly with the family and remains committed to patient safety [and] transparency...”