Durban -
A hospital mortuary botched up six years ago when they labelled a dead woman as male on her death certificate, and it has caused her family untold pain in trying to rectify the problem.
Shawn Kandhai said his sister Ronica died at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Phoenix in 2009 of an overdose.
She was 38 years old.
On her death certificate, her sex was put down as male.
Since then her family has been trying to get the certificate changed, but they claim no one will accept responsibility.
Kandhai and his wife Kreeann are the legal guardians of Ronica’s two children.
The couple have been unable to apply for a foster care grant because of the mix-up.
The whereabouts of the children’s father is unknown.
Kandhai and his wife are both unemployed and need the financial assistance to raise the children, both of whom are at school.
They have incurred all the expenses for them for in the past six years.
“This is not just about money, it is also about my sister’s dignity. We were very close to her and Ronica knew… I would look after her children and love them as my own. They are growing up in a loving home,” he said.
The couple have two children of their own.
Their eldest daughter, 27, is married with a child and their youngest is 23 and still lives at home.
An emotional Kreeann said they had been pushed around when they tried to get answers.
“We went to the hospital (and were) told to go to Home Affairs, which we did. We went to the branches in Tongaat and Umgeni Road. They referred us back to the hospital. We went back to the hospital mortuary, (and were) referred back to Home Affairs. No one wants to help us.”
In desperation they sought assistance from councillor Nadrati Reddy from the Sukuma Sakhe (war on poverty) organisation.
Reddy said he had written to the Department of Social Development for assistance.
They had been given a letter of referral from a social worker to take to the Department of Home Affairs.
He also requested assistance from the Phoenix Child and Family Welfare Society.
They spoke to officials from the Tongaat Home Affairs office and were referred to the hospital.
“I have tried to give this family assistance to rectify this matter. All they need is the death certificate to be rectified. Also they are not working and all the running around is costing them.”
The Sunday Tribune has seen both Ronica’s ID book and her death certificate.
Her ID number matches on both documents.
The Departments of Health and Home Affairs were contacted for a response, but hadn’t responded by the time of going to press.
Sunday Tribune