JHB woman wants KFC to foot her medical bill, claims chicken landed her in hospital

A Johannesburg woman wants fast food franchise KFC to pay her medical bill after claiming chicken she bought at a branch in Roodepoort made her ill.

Diana Oosthuizen, 42, and her family ordered food from the restaurant on 6 November.

She said they all fell ill after consuming the meal.

While the rest of her family had non-severe symptoms, she had to be hospitalised, Oosthuizen added.

“I had to go to the emergency rooms as I just could not stop vomiting and experienced severe abdominal pain. I was placed on a drip and went back home. I had to go back as I just worsened and was placed on a drip again,” she said.

A doctor’s letter, seen by News24, confirmed she had a salmonella infection.

As a result, Oosthuizen, a short-term insurance broker, had to take unpaid sick leave and said she racked up thousands of rand in medical bills, which she felt the franchise should pay.

“All I want is for them to settle my medical bill, nothing more nothing less. I went into a deep depression and had to borrow money for my medical bill, not to mention that I am still receiving medical bills that my medical aid won’t cover,” she added.

In response to questions, KFC Africa said it was aware of the specific incident and was investigating but did comment on whether it had received other complaints about that branch.

“We are aware of the matter at hand. We take such allegations extremely seriously and upon being notified of the issue, took immediate steps to investigate further to understand the facts. We have since escalated this matter and are in direct contact with the customer to provide feedback and resolve it urgently,” it added.

However, Oosthuizen claimed she had yet to be contacted.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.