Burn victim allegedly turned away by Rob

Fortunate Sambo, a KaNyamazane resident, said she was denied medical attention by Rob Ferreira doctors and was told to go back to the KaNyamazane Clinic for a referral letter.

“I got burned with boiling water while preparing for work. I was quickly rushed to KaNyamazane Clinic for help, but when we got there we were told there had been a Covid-19 case and the facility was being fumigated.

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So, we had to go straight to the hospital as we thought burn wounds were treated as emergency cases anyway. We arrived at casualty and they asked for a referral letter,” said Sambo. She said she tried to explain to the doctors and nurses at the casualty unit that she had gone to the clinic, but that it had been closed due to Covid-19.

“I explained that even the clinic staff were standing outside to allow fumigation processes. The nurse who took my vital signs spoke to the head doctor at the casualty ward and came back to tell me the doctors were saying I mustn’t be helped. They said I must go back to the clinic to get a referral letter,” continued Sambo. She said she pleaded with the nurse to help her as she was already there and in pain, but in vain.

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“What makes me disappointed is that the doctor didn’t even care to look at the burn wound and make a determination based on what he was seeing. He just said I must go back, without even looking at the extent of the wound. So I turned back with a leaking wound and in pain.”

According to healthcare guidelines and rights, burn wounds are treated as emergency cases and healthcare workers are not supposed to turn burn wound patients away.

Lowvelder Express contacted the provincial Department of Health and its spokesperson, Dumisani Malamule, said they would investigate the matter and get to the bottom of it.