Durban dad reeling after kidney bungle

DERRICK Rodgers, a Sydenham father has been left reeling at the turn of events following investigative medical surgery to remove his kidney at St Augustine’s Hospital last month.

Rodgers made headline news this week when he revealed that after undergoing surgery to remove a kidney because doctors had found a tumour, his kidney was mistakenly disposed of before the necessary biopsy and tests could be done to determine the severity of the tumour.

Rodgers, speaking from his Sydenham home said the whole ordeal has been unpleasant and unnecessary, causing he and his family added physical, financial and emotional pain.

He explained that he had only learned about his tumour in September this year, after undergoing an ultrasound and CT scan of his kidney. “I was feeling sick a few months ago and lost a lot of weight, so went for the tests after which the doctor told me that the kidney had to be removed. I had the operation on 7 October and doctors removed the kidney to prevent any further infection. The kidney was supposed to go to histology so they could determine how severe my condition is and what treatment would be required going forward,” he said, wincing in pain.

While still in hospital after the five-hour long operation, Rodgers, said he was very anxious about his results as the stress of a cancer report had taken its toll on him. “I would worry the doctor, surgeon and nurses for my results but they just pacified me saying I should relax, recover and not to worry. How could I relax when I didn’t even know what my results were and how I was going to move forward with treatment to rid my body of the cancer,” he said.

Two weeks later a doctor called Rodgers to inform him that they didn’t have his kidney. He said the hospital would contact him to confirm that his kidney was missing. When a sister from the hospital called, she could not answer any of his question merely saying she was “following protocol” by letting him know.”I was completely confused and couldn’t process it, I didn’t know what to do, whether to shout or scream or fill with despair. I though hell, what more could go wrong, at this stage, I just want answers. My personal attempts to get answers seemed to be totally unsuccessful so I had to engage with my attorney,” he said.

After a trip to the oncologist, Rodgers said it would cost at least R20 000 for a more scans in upcoming weeks because he does not have a clear medical report from the initial operation.

“This has affected our whole family, my son is getting married in just over a month and this is supposed to be a happy occasion. I am recovering from the operation and weak, but still have no clear answers after going through that huge operation because we do not have the results of the histology. This is all weighing me down and I’m at a standstill because I can’t go forward,” he said.

Rodgers said he had not received a phone call or visit from St Augustine’s Hospital despite reading media reports that management were giving him support after his kidney was mistakenly disposed of as medical waste after the operation at the hospital.

Meanwhile St Augustine’s Hospital is reportedly aware of the “unacceptable” incident and is in the process of taking conclusive action against the staff members involved.
Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital general manager, Dr Augusta Dorning, confirms that conclusive action is being taken against certain staff members after a histology sample was mistakenly discarded following the surgical procedure.

“We at Netcare St. Augustine’s Hospital are immensely distressed about what transpired in the case concerning this patient and remain deeply concerned that our strict and very clear policies and protocols regarding histology samples were not adhered to,” Dorning stated.
“It is unacceptable to us that a patient has been subjected to a situation such as this and we have therefore done everything within our power to try and ease the situation for the patient and his family as far as possible.”
“We would like to place on record that an incident such as this has never happened at our hospital before. Preservation of histology samples is a basic principle in nurse training. We are in the process of taking conclusive action against those staff members who have put one of our patients in this predicament. Needless to say, we are determined that a situation such as this should never be repeated,” she asserted.
“The urologist, Dr Pregalathan Chetty, has made the relevant arrangements for this patient to receive the most appropriate treatment. Dr Chetty has undertaken to personally monitor the patient’s condition and treatment on an ongoing basis. The staff, doctors and management of Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital will support the patient and his family in every respect,” Dorning concluded.