Cape Town - Another Khayelitsha family has come forward with a complaint about the treatment a relative received at the new Khayelitsha Hospital.
Nolubabalo Mtshalala alleged that her ailing diabetic mother, Elda Mtshalala was not only neglected by staff at the hospital, leading to the deterioration of her health, but had been given medication on another patient’s prescription.
The grandmother, 67, who spent almost a month in hospital, has since been discharged after doctors diagnosed her with a kidney failure.
Nolubalo Mtshalala accused the hospital of insensitivity, claiming that she was told of her mother’s kidney failure only as s he was being discharged.
“I asked the doctor why my mother was being discharged in such a bad condition. He called me to one side and told me that ‘your mother is not going to live long. Her kidneys are damaged and are starting to fail. She won’t live longer than two years’. I couldn’t believe how casually he broke such sad news.
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Her complaint comes a week after the Cape Argus reported how Sajini Mfamela, 57, was not given regular dialysis despite it being recommended, and how he had died of kidney failure. The hospital denied the claims of his widow, Nozuko Buthi.
The Mtshalala family was also instructed not to give Mtshalala some of her anti-diabetes medicine as doctors suspected that it triggered the kidney failure, but she was not given alternative medication. But then Mtshalala was given medication - for Vitamin B1 - with someone else’s name on the envelope.
“We noticed that this was the wrong medication only after a week. We don’t know whether it’s responsible for her deteriorating health or not. Ever since she was discharged more than two weeks ago her diabetes has been uncontrolled.”
Sithembiso Magubane, spokesman for the department, said a review of the pharmacy prescription charts showed Mtshalala was discharged on the same medication she received in the ward. “The nurses work hard to keep patients as comfortable as possible.”
Cape Argus