Johannesburg - The family of Kathrine Nkosi believe she is one of the victims of the Nehawu strike.
Her family told The Star that, had it not been for the strike, Nkosi 69, would have received medical care at Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital and would have been alive.
Granddaughter Simphiwe Mchunu said her grandmother got sick in the past few weeks.
She was first taken to Bertha Gxowa Hospital in Germiston and the hospital transferred her to Thelle Mogoerane Hospital, where tests were run and she was told that she had kidney stones.
On March 2, an operation in the form of inserting pipes to clear out infection was performed.
Last Monday, when Mchunu went to visit, she found that her grandmother’s health had improved.
“On Tuesday, I found her in a bad state; she told me she was not well and had not taken medication because the doctors were on strike. Other patients told me that she did not eat; they were given two slices of brown bread and juice,” said Mchunu.
Another patient advised her to arrive early the next day so that she could feed and bathe her.
“When I arrived, I found the nurses and doctors striking. I found granny in a bad state, weak and dehydrated. The ward was very dirty; I cleaned it. I managed to assist another patient who is blind. As I was about to leave, nurses came running and closed the doors. They told me that they were fearing that other nurses may assault them.
“I was told to wait for the doctor to discharge her. Indeed, the doctor saw all his patients, and he gave them prescriptions. I was shocked when I was told that they were not removing the pipes. A nurse demonstrated how to clean the pipes. A nurse told me she would change the bags attached to her, but that did not happen. Mind you, she did not get medication for two days,” said Mchunu.
They took her to Bertha Gxowa again, but a doctor told them that he would not touch her because they had transferred her to another hospital because they didn’t deal with the procedure she required.
“I begged the doctor to at least check her; she was too weak and was not able to speak anymore. The only thing she was doing was watching us. The doctor told us to leave with her, citing that there was nothing they could do,” she said.
Mchunu said on Thursday they managed to feed and give her medication.
“I noticed that she was sleepy, and I told her that I wanted to change her pipes. I got out of the room, and when I returned, she had passed on,” said Mchunu.
“My grandmother was full of jokes and loved herself and her family,” said Mchunu.
“Besides my grandmother, a lot of people that I know have lost their loved ones,” she said.
Nkosi leaves behind her seven children, 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla said they were not going to give out the number of people who died, citing that there were processes for clinically certifying them and that an investigation must ensue.
“While families will want to find closure, it is safer at this point not to necessarily go that direction until there is a clinical report,” said Gauteng Health spokesperson Motaletale Modiba.
Meanwhile, Nehawu president Mike Shingange said the public sector wage strike was far from over.
On Monday, a Labour Appeals Court ordered an interdiction that all essential workers should go back to work.
Most essential workers went back to work yesterday.
The Star