POLOKWANE – The Seshego Hospital has once again come under fire as a medical facility of incompetence, due to the continued ill treatment of patients by staff. None of the patients spoken to wanted to be identified, for fear of victimisation from nursing staff.
After a lengthy post about her treatment at the hospital on social media, a woman explained to BONUS that she had complications during her pregnancy and was transferred to the hospital from a clinic in Seshego Zone 2. When she arrived at the hospital, she had to wait for close to five hours before being attended to, she claimed.
“After waiting that long, the nurses told me I was not in labour yet and that I should go home. If it hadn’t been for my stubbornness and refusal to leave, I would have given birth at home as my son was born three hours later.”
The woman says if she could afford private medical care, she would not frequent the hospital when her son needs care.”The only reason why I still go back to the hospital after the way they treated me, is because I am poor and I cannot afford to pay for my son’s medical needs.”
Another patient told BONUS she spent a week at the hospital late last year without being examined by a doctor, after suddenly going blind. “I was admitted and would be given food, but no nurse or doctor examined my eyes in the first seven days. When my family came to visit, I explained the conditions I was admitted under and asked for a transfer to the Polokwane Provincial Hospital.”
This transfer, she said, was however delayed by three days as staff at Seshego could not find her admittance file. She says after she was transferred and received medical attention, her glasses were mistakenly sent to the Seshego Hospital, from where she was told that she would receive a call once she would be able to collect it. Nine months later, she is still waiting for the call.
A resident from Moletjie told BONUS that when his mother was diagnosed with TB, the family would take her to a private doctor whenever the need arose, but when they ran out of money, they had no option but to take her to the Seshego Hospital, which is the closest to their home. “When we took her to the hospital, she was dehydrated and in need of an IV-drip.”
Two days after she was admitted, they received a call from the hospital, informing them his mother had passed away.”It did not make sense to us how this could have happened, if she had been eating properly and put on an IV.” He added that due to Covid-19 regulations, the family was unable to see his mother and therefore could not determine whether she was getting better or not.
He said they received no updates from the hospital on his mother’s condition. “Had we been allowed to see her, or had truthful answers regarding her health, we would have made a means to get money and take her to a private hospital. Whenever I called the hospital I was told she was doing better.”
Departmental Spokesperson, Neil Shikwambana says the department will only be made aware of these issues when a formal complaint is lodged. “As of now, we have not received a formal complaint from any of the complainants regarding their experiences at the hospital. We wish to reiterate that it is important for anyone visiting the facility to complain if they feel they were not treated well.”
