In August, the Krugersdorp News reported about a man’s fight for treatment at Leratong Hospital.
In the article, Jonathan Willemse explained he was at his wits’ end as his broken leg had still not been properly treated since March.
Since March, Willemse said he was unable to walk and the two times he was discharged, the infection in his leg kept getting worse and had him in and out of hospital.
• Read the initial article here: WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Man’s fight for treatment at Leratong
“I was booked into hospital to remove a nail on August 20 as it had caused an infection in my leg [something that has been ongoing since April 13]. This gave me sleepless nights of endless pain. I then had the operation on September 5 where they removed the nail. Thereafter, I was on a draining system for six days to remove the infection and was in hospital again until September 26. Even so, I experienced immense pain throughout that time, not to mention the infection did not stop. I was discharged nonetheless,” Willemse explained.
He continued that he did not understand why he was discharged, because his leg was still broken and in pain to the extent that he could not even sit on the toilet or eat.
“When I was discharged, they did not even give me antibiotics or any painkillers, so how do I handle the pain? I went home and the infection just got worse from there. If it was not for Adel Els who helped me to clean the wounds and look after me for the few days I was there, I would have lost my leg. She helped me by telling me to go back to the hospital because I was only supposed to see the doctors at a later stage,” Willemse thankfully said.
On October 4, he was re-admitted and is still in hospital to this day.
“On October 7, I was seen by the doctors and told that the bone was infected. I am afraid I might lose my leg,” he added.
The News reached out to Leratong Hospital’s communications officer Matlhatsi Dibakwane who said according to their records, appropriate pain medication (analgesics) was provided upon discharge along with proper wound dressing as the infection was localised at the time.
Regarding the long battle with his broken leg, she added he underwent two surgeries on April 5 and October 5. Unfortunately, Dibakwane said, surgical procedures can sometimes lead to complications which is the case with Willemse.
“The hospital cannot predict the exact timeline for healing or discharge and recovery times vary depending on the patient’s specific condition as well as response to treatment. Recurrent infections are often linked to the initial injury or underlying health conditions that may affect the recovery process,” she added.
Dibakwane concluded that Willemse’s treatment plan, which includes additional surgery, has been discussed with him to address the current medical needs.
