Grieving family demands accountably from the health department
“We felt that if he could have received oxygen while we were still at the clinic, it could have given him enough boost to reach the hospital.”
Last Christmas was unusual and traumatic for the Maube family from Vosloorus.
This follows the sudden death of their brother, Johannes Mashigo Maube, who died due to alleged negligence by the J Dumane Clinic on December 19, 2022.
According to Lucy Maube from Ext Two, Vosloorus, the younger sister of the late Johannes, her brother could have survived had the clinic called an ambulance upon seeing he was in critical condition.
Maube said she received a phone call from her brother Amos, urgently requesting her to get to J Dumane Clinic as their brother was sick.
“I asked my neighbour to accompany me. We found them at the entrance. Johannes was on a stretcher with his eyes closed and arms open, overlapping from the stretcher.
“I shook him but he was not responding. Amos confirmed he was not responding and said our brother was struggling to breathe,” said Maube.
“Amos said they had just come from the clinic but were informed the clinic does not have oxygen and they should go to the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital,” she added.
“Amos was worried about how we will get him to the hospital while he is in a critical condition. He said a patient like him was supposed to be transported by an emergency vehicle because it has oxygen.”
She said they realised they were wasting time and asked her neighbour to take them to the hospital
“When we arrived, we went to the emergency room. I left Amos there and went to the waiting area. While I was there, Amos called me to inform me that Johannes passed away.”
She said they had to arrange their own undertaker because he did not die at the hospital, instead, he passed away while they were travelling from J Dumane Clinic to the hospital
“If he could have received oxygen while at the clinic, it could have given him enough boost to reach the hospital.”
Maube said the recovery process is not easy for them. She described her brother as a person who loved attending church.
“His son is also affected. He is the kind of person who is always talkative and making jokes, but now you can see that he is not in the present moment.”
A tenant and close friend of the family, Thapelo Motlhapeng, who arrived at the clinic before Maube, said the nurses were not helping him and left them at the gate.
“There was nobody to help him when I got there, no nurse and paramedics. Uncle Amos could not even carry himself to the car. I had to carry him to the car with two other guys so that he can go to the hospital,” said Motlhapeng.
The family are calling for the GDoH to take accountability and apologises to the family.
The spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni, Zweli Dlamini, said these are serious allegations that require an investigation because the municipal clinics are the first point of call for medical care.
He said if people believe or raise issues that indicate that they were not given the service they deserve, they must speak up, as the municipality and the state will ask what transpired so that they can correct it.
“We will investigate the matter to determine what happened. Once we concluded the report will be shared with the public,” he concluded.
