Health services shift blame as they ‘lose’ patient for a day

Imagine loading your sick loved one into an ambulance just to hear hours later that no one knows where he is. That is exactly what happened to a family from West Village recently.

The 58-year-old Henry Aslett was treated at Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital on October 1 and then sent home but the medicine administered to him was not helping. On October 3 his family phoned for an ambulance after he was not getting better. According to his family, he could not keep anything down, was turning pale and had pain.

His daughter-in-law Tammy Aslett, said they did ask the two paramedics if they wanted his ID book and if he could take his cellphone with him. However, they were told that he should wear comfortable clothes and that he could not take anything with him.

The family was informed that Henry would be taken to Leratong Hospital for treatment. And with that, Henry’s blue tracksuit pants and yellow golf shirt he was wearing were taken away just past 20:00 that evening.

Tammy explained further that a family member phoned Leratong Hospital to check in that same night and was told that he did arrive. However, when they phoned the hospital at about 05:00 the next day, nobody knew where Henry was. The family went to Leratong Hospital and was told to look through the wards to see if they could find him.

Out of desperation, they contacted the Krugersdorp News and journalist Natasha Pretorius reached out to Leratong’s spokesperson Thabo Dube to ask for assistance for the family. He responded by saying they searched their systems and found information claiming the patient was treated at the Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital on October 1 and suggested someone go to the Yusuf Dadoo to find out if Henry was there.

The family told the News that they did, however, phone Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital on multiple occasions and were told that Henry was not there. Henry was indeed missing and the family was planning on opening a missing persons case as the lack of assistance from both hospitals made them even more frustrated.

By 19:30 on October 4, Henry was found waiting in the casualty unit of Yusuf Dadoo Hospital still wearing the same clothes. A relieved Henry told his family that he had asked nurses to inform them that he was there, but no one phoned.

Tammy said that her father-in-law was in too much pain to walk and could not get himself out of the situation. He was missing for almost 24 hours.

On October 5 the News received a message from Dube stating, “When we spoke yesterday the patient was still in Dr Yusuf Dadoo and the information about the patient was correct. However, the patient was transferred to Leratong Hospital today [October 5] at about 00:45. He is in P2 [a person whose life is not in immediate danger] as we speak.”

The family said they were disappointed with the treatment they, and Henry, received from both hospitals.

The News has reached out to both hospitals for comment of which one responded at the time of print.

Leratong Hospital’s CEO Dr Dieketseng Moloi said the hospital first heard from the patient’s family at 13:00 on October 4.

“The patient was not at Leratong Hospital. According to the patient’s clinical notes, the patient was collected at Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital by Emergency Medical Services [ambulance], on October 5 at 00:10 and they arrived with the patient at Leratong Hospital at 00:20,” Moloi said.

He added that their earliest conversation with a family member was around 13:00 on October 4. The family member spoke to the Patient Administration Department and was notified that the patient did not appear to be on their system but rather on Dr Yusuf Dadoo’s records.

“On further inquiry by the hospital communication department at 15:03 on October 4, the admission system showed that the patient was still at Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital which was then communicated to the News on WhatsApp.”

He concluded that there was no evidence that the family went to look for the patient at their hospital.