“I said no to the injections they gave my child” – Mother of child in a local school in Quellerie Park
"Depending on the outcome of the investigations, if necessary, disciplinary processes will be followed."
Marietjie Venter, a concerned mother of a Grade 8 learner from a local high school recently expressed her outrage when her daughter came home from school saying she had received an injection that her mother had specifically said she did not want her daughter to get.
Photo: Pixabay
On Friday, 27 January, parents of learners at the school received a consent form for a health screening done by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH). Venter, who was among the recipients, noted specifically that her daughter should not receive any injections during the screening, requesting that the nurse who screened her should give them a referral letter, specifying what she should be injected for.
On Monday, 30 January, her daughter went to school with the expectation that she would only be screened. However, one of the nurses gave her an injection. Upon returning home she informed her mother that she had indeed received an injection. Infuriated by the act, Venter contacted the department to report the matter and discovered that no note of the injection had been made on the child’s clinic card after she received the injection.
Photo: Supplied
A preliminary meeting was held between the complainant and the Quality Assurance Manager and a subsequent meeting was scheduled to address the matter.
“I made an appointment with the personnel of the Health Department to discuss the matter,” said Venter.
“The nurses told me my child insisted that the nurses inject her. So why do we need to fill in a form, if a minor can give consent?”
She questioned the odds of her daughter insisting on getting an injection, because she is allegedly terrified of needles. Her daughter mentioned that three nurses approached her and said she needed to get the said injection before they could weigh her.
Photo: supplied
The Department of Health responded to the complaint by saying they would launch an investigation into the matter.
“Depending on the outcome of the investigations, if necessary, disciplinary processes will be followed,” said Prince Hamnca, spokesperson for the GDoH.
Venter claims she also contacted the school’s vice principal to report the matter to her.
Luckily her daughter had no allergies or any side effects from the injection.
“Patients are advised to lodge their complaints in writing to Quality Assurance Managers at public health facilities or to call the department’s 24 hour call centre on 0860 011 000, ” said Hamnca. All concerns will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken.
Read more here
Watch first person receive HIV vaccine
Ebola vaccine may be up to ‘100% effective’Â
