Geduld resident Johanna Pretorius (75) was not impressed with the treatment she recently received at the Far East Rand Hospital.
She raised her concerns about the poor medical care she received after visiting the hospital.
Pretorius is a regular patient at the hospital and suffers from heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, which is the heart’s inability to provide enough blood for the body’s needs.
She recently visited the hospital because both her legs were severely swollen and leaking fluid.
This condition, she claims, is a problem caused by her circulatory system or kidneys.
“Blisters formed on both my legs and I could barely walk. Therefore, my children decided to take me to FERH in September,” she says.
Pretorius claims she was seen by a doctor who shocked her by allegedly saying: “Let’s just cut your legs off.”
“How can a doctor say that to someone who cannot walk and is in severe pain?” she asks.
Pretorius claims before she left the hospital she asked a male nurse for medication because the doctor didn’t prescribe anything and didn’t bother to examine her.
The male nurse apparently gave her ointment and bandages.
About a week after her first visit, her children took her to a private doctor.
The doctor wrote a letter to FERH suggesting Pretorius should be admitted and treated for the fluid and blisters on both her legs.
“I was admitted, but was discharged within two days without seeing a doctor or being given any treatment or any medication,” she says.
Pretorius is also not happy with the way the nursing staff bruised her arms whilst helping her.
Hendrik Buda, FERH spokesperson, says Pretorius has been visiting the hospital almost every month from February until September.
He confirms she was admitted and discharged within two days after admission, but says she was given treatment.
“According to our records, Pretorius was seen by the doctor who prescribed medicine for her including ointment for her legs,” he says.
He also says Pretorius visited the hospital again a few days later and five items of treatment were prescribed by a doctor. Bandages were prescribed too for her wounds which are caused by burst blisters.
“As a principle, we don’t encourage our staff members to act unprofessionally while engaging with patients,” says Buda.
