Cape Town - For more than four weeks after he first reported to hospital in severe pain, a Mitchells Plain father was sent from agonising pillar to painful post.
Niezaam Safodien, 39, said he had been to four different hospitals and consulted a string of doctors, only to be sent home each time.
His wife, Roshan Safodien, listed the following:
He was at Eerste River Hospital on August 14 and again four days later.
He went to Groote Schuur on August 25 and was back there on September 4.
On September 10 he went to Karl Bremer Hospital and was sent to Mitchells Plain hospital the next day.
On September 15 he was taken to Groote Schuur, and again six days later.
He eventually received full attention on Tuesday this week after the couple approached the Cape Argus. Roshan said her husband had been seen by no fewer than 14 doctors.
Now he is to undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) test - something he had expected to be done in the first place, she said.
Roshan Safodien said he had been in sever pain all the time.
Health Department communications director Marika Champion said: “The waiting times vary greatly, depending on the pressure of ‘red’ cases at that specific facility at the time. The department would need to investigate the patient journey in detail to provide an explanation for Mr Safodien’s case. Referrals between facilities are done according to a specific protocol, depending on the condition. The department prioritises good service, and attempts to care for all patients in a dignified manner.”
Champion did not respond to why there were so often complaints by people about hospitals in disadvantaged areas such as Mitchells Plain and Eerste River, and whether incompetence was an issue at these facilities.
Health Department spokesperson Mark van der Heever yesterday confirmed at least three of Safodien’s hospital visits.
“All patients who present to a health facility will be assessed and triaged according to the severity of their condition,” he said.