A DURBAN family are calling for an investigation into two public health facilities after their grandmother died due to alleged medical negligence.
Cynthia Monica Naidoo, 65, from Phoenix, was taken to the Community Health Centre (Unit 10 clinic) on January 19 after she developed blood clots on her body.
She was then transferred to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Phoenix, and later to the Dr Pixley Ka-Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital in KwaMashu where she died from a heart attack on January 24.
Naidoo’s granddaughter, Ruane Govender, said she was taken to the clinic at about 10am.
“It was a Sunday and the clinic could not do anything because all the relevant departments were closed. She was then transferred to Gandhi Hospital as an emergency case.
“But when she got there she was made to wait in casualty. She had to sit in a chair because there were no beds. She was only seen by a doctor in the early hours of Monday morning to do her blood tests. After doing the tests, she did not receive any further treatment. When we asked what was happening, they kept saying they were waiting for the blood results,” she said.
Govender said on Tuesday (January 21), her mother and two aunts went to the hospital to enquire about Naidoo’s treatment.
“They spent the morning running around looking for the hospital matron, superintendent and PRO, just to get a doctor to meet with them. However, they could not be found.
“My mom managed to find an assistant who took her back to the casualty and asked a nurse to speak to her. The nurse said she could not disclose any information as she needed to wait for the doctor. But there were two doctors walking up and down, eating, relaxing, talking and laughing. No one wanted to speak to her,” she claimed.
Govender said later that afternoon, they managed to get hold of a doctor.
“The doctor told them that they would give my grandmother an injection to dissolve the blood clots. We were then asked to leave. Until today, we do not know if that injection was given or not.”
Govender said Naidoo called the family after she had been given an injection on January 22.
“It was around 4pm, when she called and said that they injected her with something in her left thigh which was extremely painful. After that she battled to breathe. We begged the hospital to give her oxygen or do something to help her but they did nothing. They did not even explain what was really going on with her.
“Their response was, ‘Why are you phoning here and irritating us? Let the patient talk’, and the phone was put down on us. But my grandmother had called us multiple times saying she asked for help from every staff member she could see but not one of them helped her,” she alleged.
Naidoo was transferred to Dr Pixley Ka-Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital on January 23 at 2am.
“At around midday my grandmother was still battling to breathe. She could not see any nurses around her and her bed bell was too far for her to reach so she banged the pedestal beside her, screamed and threw her water bottle on the floor to get someone’s attention. This was happening while we were on a call with her and no one went to assist her.
“So we called the ward and a nurse answered. We explained to her my grandmother’s situation. She then said she would check her oxygen levels. But she did not call us back or provide feedback. During visiting hours that afternoon, my aunts found my grandmother continuously vomiting. They asked the nurse for help and she gave her an injection to stop the vomiting. My grandmother was extremely weak and dehydrated at this point,” she said.
Govender said when they returned that evening during visiting hours, Naidoo’s condition had deteriorated.
“There was a doctor in the ward so my uncle requested if he could give her oxygen to help her breathing. But the doctor refused to even look at them.
“So they went to the nurse and requested oxygen from her but she refused to help. She said the patient must ask and not the family. Yet again, when the patient did ask, they did nothing for her. My grandmother called us at around 10pm and said they finally gave her oxygen after making her suffer the entire day,” she said.
Govender said they last spoke to her on Friday morning (January 24).
“We spoke to her around 8am, and she said she was still battling to breathe. She said a doctor had come to her and said her heart was very weak. So my mom told her not to worry she would call the ward. Even though she was gasping for breath she told my mom not to call the ward as she had so much fear that they would ill-treat her.
“My mom still phoned and spoke to a nurse who told her that she had just spoken to my grandmother on her personal phone so why is she calling the hospital. My mom then requested to speak to a doctor. She called my mom back to say her appointment was with the doctor at 1pm.
“However, just before midday, a nurse called and asked for us to come to the hospital as my grandmother was not doing well. Within five minutes, both my mom and aunts reached the hospital only to find my grandmother dead.
“Her body was ‘iced cold’. There was no way she passed on and in five minutes her body turned cold.
“While our family gathered around my grandmother and cried, the nurses around us were laughing and carrying on with their day as if it was nothing. They were so rude, with absolutely no remorse, empathy or compassion,” she said.
Govender added that the doctors and nurses in the government facilities were “absolutely heartless”.
Reverend Ethan Ramkuar, a director of the Survival Centre, a non-profit organisation, said on behalf of the family, they had since written to the office of KZN MEC of Health, Nomagugu Simelane.
“As an organisation we believe in holding people accountable, especially those who take oaths to save the lives of others. We stand with the family who are in need of answers as to what happened. We are waiting for an official response.”
Spokesperson for the KZN Department of Health, Ntokozo Maphisa, said: “We note the enquiry with concern, and view these allegations seriously. Without prejudice, we wish to convey our condolences to the bereaved family. Management of both hospitals will get in touch with the family with the aim of establishing the material facts, and then guide them accordingly on the internal processes that they may follow in dealing with this matter.”