MBOMBELA – A healthy 36-year-old single father with four dependants has been immobile and unable to work for the past six months, anxiously waiting to undergo a hip replacement at Rob Ferreira Hospital.
The Department of Health claims that the operation has been delayed because Mr Richard Fakude suffers from a chronic condition, making him unfit for a procedure under anaesthesia. However, Fakude knows nothing about this.
Fakude’s right hip was dislocated in a car accident on February 14. His right arm was also broken in the crash.
Despite suffering from the so-called condition which is apparently rendering him unfit for a hip replacement, he has undergone three surgical procedures under anaesthesia in Rob Ferreira to repair other injuries he had suffered.
Pegs were inserted in his arm and pins into his hip and knee. He was informed that those in his knee had to be inserted to prevent it from pulling his hip askew. These had since been removed.
Three weeks ago he was sent to Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
Spokesman for health, Mr Dumisani Malamule, said all complicated hip-replacement surgeries were performed there.
Fakude said doctors there ordered that the pins be removed from his hip before they would operate.
Two weeks ago the pin was removed in Rob Ferreira. After being hospitalised for six months, he had finally been given a date in October when he would receive a hip replacement at Steve Biko.
Before becoming a semi-permanent resident of Rob Ferreira Hospital, Fakude used to live in Lydenburg. He has four children who is now in his mother’s care.
The one’s mother has passed away. Fakude added that the others’ mother survived on social grants. “They are in Lydenburg, it is far. They cannot come visit their dad. Some of them have tried to drink poison. My mother only has her pension and I’ve been unable to work.” To make ends meet in the short-term, while awaiting her son’s recovery, she takes out small loans, which she has to pay back at a very high interest rate.
Fakude is desperate. He is not sure what is going on back home while he lives in a hospital.
Malamule says it does not cost the department more to keep the patient in its care, “as (he) also has some medical condition which compels the hospital to treat him as an inpatient. His clinical medical condition will determine how soon the hip can be fixed”. Fakude insists he knows nothing of this condition.
He gave Lowvelder permission to probe into the matter, yet Malamule insisted Rob Ferreira couldn’t disclose this condition “for confidential reasons”.
He also wouldn’t comment on whether a situation, where patients do not know what is wrong with them, is common.
“Fakude is aware that he is on chronic medication for a medical condition he is aware of. If he chooses to inform the media about his diagnosis, it’s his call to make.”
Fakude accused it of lying and claimed that he had been prepped for surgery on various occasions, only to be told it was called off at the last minute due to a lack of equipment.
In turn Malamule further denied any shortage of medical equipment at the facility or any negligence on the part of the doctors at the hospital, but would not disclose exactly which surgeries had been performed on the patient, despite Fakude’s permission to elaborate on this.
“Each patient should be medically stable before any operation to avoid complications. If (he) was stable medically he would have been discharged, unfortunately we cannot discharge a patient who is unwell.
“It should be noted that Rob Ferreira does not control operations at Steve Biko. Appointment dates are given as per waiting list of that facility. Fakude will return home when his condition is satisfactory.”
