Another hospital horror tale
Mr Mikkelson was told to sit and wait in the emergency room
Mr John Mikkelson* has been ill lately, and unfortunately finds himself without medical aids.
“I went to see a doctor about my health, which had been deteriorating. The doctor ran some tests, including scans and blood work, which showed an abnormality on one of my kidneys and indicated that I had an infection somewhere in my body,” Mr Mikkelson explained, “the doctor actually wanted to have me admitted, but my medical aid situation makes things a bit difficult…”
The doctor referred Mr Mikkelson to Witbank Provincial Hospital on April 5, sending him there with all of his test results, as well as a letter explaining the patient’s situation to whichever doctor might end up assisting him there.
“I thought the doctor was being very nice, giving Witbank Provincial Hospital such ease of access to all of the relevant information… You’d think they’d be thankful, but that wasn’t the case. I was directed to the emergency section of the hospital by the staff at the front desk. There were two doctors working in the emergency room that afternoon; a man and a woman. The man approached me and I handed him everything that my doctor had given me to handover to them. Instead of getting the help I was expecting, especially since they now had the papers in front of them proving the seriousness of my condition, the Witbank Provincial Hospital doctor asked me ‘Who does your doctor think she is to send you with instructions to us?’ – I understood in that moment that the hospital doctor had somehow taken offence to my doctor supplying him with all of these test results, and perhaps even to the letter that accompanied them.”
Mr Mikkelson was told to sit and wait in the emergency room.
“I was told to ‘sit down’ and that I’d ‘get my turn when, and if, they had a moment for me.’ My doctor actually wanted them to, at the very least, give me IV antibiotics to control the infection, but they couldn’t even do that. Eventually after waiting for ‘my turn,’ I just got up and left without receiving any medical treatment, or the X-Rays I had been sent to receive as well. My kidney still has a growth on it; it could be cancer, it could be a tumour, it could be anything at this point. I’m still getting sicker and sicker by the day, but I’m scared to go back to Witbank Provincial Hospital because I’m terrified that they’ll make me ‘wait my turn’ again, or lose their tempers at me for something my house doctor somehow did to offend them.”
Mr Mikkelson’s health is currently slowly, but surely, getting worse and worse.
He hopes he’ll be able to find a way to get the medical treatment that he so desperately needs.
“The doctor said that this growth on my kidney could burst if it goes untreated. Who knows what will happen to me then?” Mr Mikkelson lamented.
The Department of Health was approached for comment, but had not referred back to us at the time of publication.
* Names have been changed in order to protect the identity of vulnerable individuals.
READ ANOTHER ARTICLE: Ward of terrors https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/127468/ward-of-terrors/
