Daughter demands compensation from hospital for traumatised mother
“My mom was not wearing nappies before her admission to hospital but now we have to buy and use them.”
Kathorus MAIL received a complaint from Sheli Koalo from Vosloorus after her mother Gertrude Thella (82) suffered trauma following her admission to a high-care unit at Netcare Union Hospital on November 23.
According to Koalo, her mother’s health condition went from bad to worse.
“She was a different person after her hospital admission,” Koalo explained.
“She had bruises on her hands. It is like both hands were tied tight. Other bruises were on her cheeks and she also had bedsores,” she added.
Koalo said she only took her mother to the hospital for a wound on her ankle, and according to the doctor’s explanation, this was because of poor blood circulation.
“The doctor said she had to do an operation to open her veins for efficient blood flow.
“Gogo was able to walk on her own when we took her to hospital. She used a walking stick and she was admitted on November 23 in the same condition. We were told that the doctor conducts the operation on Tuesdays and Fridays.
“While we were there, the doctor said Thella was not in the right condition for the operation and that he was still assessing her,” said Koalo.
She said things got worse when she was moved to the high-care unit and the family could not visit her because of Covid-19 regulations.
“We asked the hospital to discharge her on December 23 to spend Christmas with her family, but when we went to fetch her at the hospital, she was a different person.
“She was shaking and screaming like she was being attacked when we tried to get close to her. She had forgotten us her children. I was heartbroken to see her like that. I kept asking myself what they did to her,” she said.
Koalo said she expressed her concerns about her mother’s condition in a feedback report she sent to the hospital via email, but that email was ignored.
The family then found a nurse, Lerato Twala, who is treating Thella from home.
According to Koalo, the hospital agreed to pay Twala.
When Twala started with Thella’s treatment on December 24, she confirmed that Thella was in a bad condition with bad sores, a wound on her ankle and her body was shaking.
Koalo said her mother is recovering well at home, and the shaking they witnessed when they fetched her at the hospital had stopped.
However, she said Netcare Union Hospital did not help and claimed R330 000 for the hospital bill.
“My mom was not wearing nappies before her hospital admission but now, we have to buy and use them. She also cannot turn herself on the bed. I want the hospital to reverse the R330 000 claim and pay my mother for the trauma they have caused,” she said.
In response to the allegation the general manager of Netcare Union, Richard Mulder, said they regard the allegations made as very serious but they cannot respond to any of the issues raised unless the patient provides them with written consent.
He said they are legally prohibited from sharing information about the hospitalisation or treatment of their patients unless they receive written consent that they may do so.
“I am sure you will agree that this is an extremely difficult predicament. In the light of the legal parameters in which we are working, we will, therefore, keep our response extremely broad,” said Mulder in a statement sent to Kathorus MAIL.
Discussions, recommendations and meetings with family members
Mulder said they can confirm that the hospital and doctors have been in touch with the patient’s family for the last few months to better understand the circumstances leading up to the admission of the patient, and to address concerns for her well-being both holistically and appropriately.
Mulder explained that once the elderly patient was well enough to be discharged after undergoing a procedure, it was recommended to the family that they arrange for her transfer to a step-down facility, as she still required a lot of assistance, however, the family preferred to care for her at home.
“When the family contacted the hospital towards the end of December to express dissatisfaction with the recovery progress of the patient, we immediately arranged a meeting for the family with the doctors and unit managers who were involved in caring for the patient during her hospital stay.
“During this meeting, the relationship between certain symptoms the family described and the patient’s medical conditions were explained to the family.
“It was also discovered that the family were unaware of the patient’s wound care requirements. Netcare Union Hospital consequently arranged for a nurse to come to the family’s home to perform the patient’s wound care and dressing changes,” said Mulder.
He said the patient’s well-being has been their primary concern throughout and they remain open to discussing any of these concerns further with her next of kin directly.
“We have the best interests of our patients at heart, and we are committed to caring for them with compassion, dignity, respect and appreciation. We encourage patients and their loved ones to engage with us if they have special requests, queries or complaints,” he concluded.
However, Koalo argued that the hospital’s claims that they arranged for a nurse to come to the family’s home are false.
“The hospital did not find us a nurse, we found her ourselves,” said Koalo.
She said it is shocking that the hospital is encouraging them to discuss concerns because they are still waiting for its response for a sitting.
