Nurses forget catheter inside man’s penis
Doctor finds catheter concealed in man's penis five days after being discharged from Tembisa Hospital.
Negligence and a patient’s mental state was the cause of discomfort, pain and embarrassment to 60-year-old Mr Andrew Toku.
On May 27, Mr Toku was discharged from the Tembisa Hospital after he was admitted on May 21, following a sudden illness. Ms Julina Mogapi, a family friend, said she noticed that Mr Toku’s trousers were wet when she fetched him from the hospital on the day of his discharge.
She said at first she thought it was simply because Mr Toku is aged. According to Ms Mogapi, the incident continued for a period of five days.
“On June 1, I noticed red stains on his trousers. We took him to a doctor who confirmed that the red stains were blood,” said Ms Mogapi. She said the doctor found a catheter concealed in Mr Toku’s penis.
She said the doctor also confirmed that the catheter had caused an infection for Mr Toku. Ms Mogapi said according to the doctor, Mr Toku shouldn’t have been discharged from hospital.
“I feel bad and upset about this, he didn’t deserve to be treated like this,” said Ms Mogapi.
“The indwelling catheter was part of the treatment because the patient was wetting himself and confused. We suspect the patient removed the bag himself, due to his mental state,” said the spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Health, Mr Steve Mabona
“On discharge, we imagine that the nurses forgot to remove the catheter tip which is a matter that will be addressed with the nurses concerned and corrective measures will be implemented. The doctor prescribed more medication for the patient to clear the infection,” said Mr Mabona.
