Meshack Maseko struggles with the treatment given by the Far East Rand Hospital
In addition to the agony he experiences, Maseko is worried about how long he has to live as he alleges he was never told how much longer he would live and was never referred for counselling.
Meshack Maseko alleges that he has received poor treatment from the Far East Rand Hospital (FERH).
Maseko says his ordeal started in September last year when he noticed a lump on his groin.
“The doctor just gave me painkillers and that was it.
“Since then I’ve been going to the doctor ever since and it’s always the same thing.
“In January this year, he told me I have stage four cancer and there was nothing he could do about it,” says Maseko.
The KwaThema resident says he doesn’t understand how the doctor diagnosed him with stage four cancer when no tests had ever been done.
ALSO READ:
Expectant parents gather for Pregnancy Awareness Day at Life Springs Parkland Hospital
“He (the doctor) has never seen the lump, touched it and done a biopsy to check if it was cancerous or not, now he tells me it’s stage four?
“Why did he not do the tests when I first came around in September last year, especially given my history with cancer,” says Maseko.
Since then, the lump has grown to fist-size, it constantly bleeds, has pus coming out and is painful to touch.
The 47-year-old has also lost weight, can only sleep on one side of his body and has developed a weakness in his right leg which he can no longer fully straighten.
He says he is lucky that he is still able to work.
In addition to the agony he experiences, Maseko is worried about how long he has to live as he alleges he was never told how long he would live and was never referred for counselling.
“This thing is affecting my whole family and I’m scared that it is eating me up from the inside,” says Maseko.
Maseko says he has complained to the matron on duty about his treatment but nothing was done.
The FERH says they have treated Maseko and could never have diagnosed him without any tests being done and after the results of those tests, he was booked in.
ALSO READ:
Far East Rand Hospital commemorates World Aids Day
“ According to our records, the patient was given one box of Primapore, one bottle of Sevlon and of gauze.
“Unfortunately, the doctor cannot confirm how long the patient still has to live. In terms of counselling, the doctor has counselled the patient during his previous consultations.
“The patient has another appointment with the doctor scheduled for today where he then can be referred to the clinical psychologists if he so wishes,” says Phumza Ntuthuka, the Far East Rand Hospital’s communications officer.
Ntuthuka went on to say that if a patient has a complaint, he is free to lodge a complaint in writing to their quality assurance department.
“The complaint gets investigated and the patient gets feedback within seven working days,” says Ntuthuka.
