MULTIMEDIA: Father in need of blood passes away
A family told the RECORD they believe the time it took to deliver much needed blood played a big role in his death.
GLENVISTA — A Glenvista family believes time was a factor in the death of their loved one, who was in need of an urgent blood transfusion.
Henry Haarhoff (62) was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident near to the Glen Shopping Centre, earlier this month, just before 23:00. On that fateful night he was on his way home, but never arrived and died about six hours after the incident.
His daughter, Cassandra Haarhoff, said he had already been transported to the Netcare Mulbarton Hospital by the time they got to the accident scene, at about 23:30.
“I spoke to him at the hospital and, although he was a bit loopy, probably from something he got for the pain, he told me that he was fine,” she added.
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She said that, after a while, they were told to leave the emergency room as staff felt it was becoming too crowded.
The medical staff informed her, and her mother, Paula, that Haarhoff had a broken leg and femur, and broken pelvis in the form of an open book fracture. He was also bleeding profusely.
“They (the doctors) saw that the injuries were quite bad and that they would need to operate as they were uncertain from where the bleeding was coming from.”
Cassandra said they had already given him a unit of blood, and gave him another unit while he was in theatre, but needed more blood from the South African National Blood Services (SANBS).
“The nurses phoned the Alberton Blood Bank at about 01:00, but were informed that the Blood Bank was not open as it closes at 22:00. For me this is ridiculous, as most of the accidents happen at night and, with three hospitals in the Alberton area that just does not make sense.”
She said the doctor was pacing up and down the hospital passage as they waited for blood to be brought from the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, in Johannesburg.
“The doctor even came to us and apologised, saying it was so embarrassing that the blood had not arrived yet.”
Cassandra added that the nurses kept on phoning to find out when the blood would be delivered, emphasising that it was an emergency.
At 04:45 she heard a nurse running down the passage and starting to shout at the driver who had finally arrived with the blood, but it was already too late and her father passed away at 05:25.
“The doctor did not say directly to us that he died because of the blood, but from the info we gathered the blood was a major contribution to the reason my dad passed away,” she said.
SANBS spokesperson Vanessa Raju said they have investigated the matter and found there was no wrongdoing from their side.
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“We have had an investigation into this and the findings from our side are that there was no delay in the dispatch of the blood.
“The patient was admitted at 00:45, as per hospital records. Alberton Blood Bank is not a 24-hour blood bank and it is serviced by Charlotte Maxeke Blood Bank.”
Raju said they received the call for blood at 02:15.
Family speaks to the RECORD:
“The driver was dispatched at 02:18. He had to go to the hospital, get the sample, then had to return to the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, where a cross-match had to be done before the blood could be dispatched.”
She said it took them two hours and 34 minutes to deliver the blood from the time of call to delivery.
Nellie Koen, general manager at Netcare Mulbarton Hospital, said that, due to legal restrictions around patient confidentiality, they are unable to comment on the matter.
“The staff and management would like to convey their sincere condolences to the family and appreciate their kind words about our doctors and nursing staff.”
*Another party was involved in the accident and a case of culpable homicide is being investigated by the Mulbarton SAPS.
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