Local hospital accused of negligence

A Vryheid woman has accused Queen Nandi Regional Hospital of negligence in an incident which has reportedly been handled internally by the Department of Health.

Ntombi Kunene’s sister Etty Betty (60) was admitted to the State facility in Empangeni in March after having been
referred by a private oncologist in Richards Bay.

It is alleged that after Etty’s pleas for assistance to go to the bathroom were ignored by nightshift nurses, she fell and damaged her spinal cord, causing paralysis some days later.

Ntombi further alleges that doctors were not informed by hospital staff of the incident, and the patient’s injuries went untreated until she experienced swelling and numbness in her legs and lower back after having been discharged.

Ntombi claims that her sister called the nurses several times, asking for help to go to the toilet, but that their only response was, ‘I will be back’.

“She waited for more than three hours,” said Ntombi.

Eventually one of the nurses shouted, ‘Nathi siyazigulela njengoba silapha asizile kuzoqukulana nabantu abangakwazi ukuzihambela’ – “We are also sick, and we are not here to lift patients who can’t walk on their own.

“We demand to know why my sister was treated so badly, and why her injuries were concealed and not reported to the doctor.

“My sister could not walk without crutches. I do not understand how a nurse can do such a thing to a patient.

“Etty got out of bed and went to the toilet. On her return, she tried to climb back onto the bed but fell on her back, which is when she broke her spinal cord.

“She cried loudly for help, which forced the other patients to call the nurses, who came to pick her up. The nurses ordered her not to try to go to the toilet on her own even though she had asked for their help initially.

“No one noticed anything, although she told the nurses her back pain was severe. She was instead ordered to inform the doctor the following day,” said Ntombi.

She said when she picked up Etty after she was discharged, they struggled to put her into the car as she was complaining of severe back pain.

“After a day at home, both her legs started swelling and she told us she could not feel them. She could not sleep on her back owing to the pain and we discovered that her back was also swollen.

“I took her to Vryheid Private Hospital where, upon examination, it was discovered that her spinal cord was broken,” said Ntombi.

Response

KZN Department of Health spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said they view these allegations in a serious light.

“The matter has been handled internally. A meeting was held by hospital management with all affected parties on 12 May, where all pertinent matters were dealt with exhaustively,” said Maphisa.

He went on to say that the department does not discuss the clinical management of patients in the media as these are confidential.

He also said health matters are ‘highly complex in nature’, cannot be oversimplified, and further said the department could not respond to the direct allegations owing to legal prohibitions.

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