Ballito paramedic censured for mistreatment of ex-Springbok

Former Sharks and Springbok rugby player Adrian Garvey was mistreated by a professional paramedic following a fall at his Simbithi Estate home, the Health Professions Council (HPCSA) has ruled.

Garvey fell from a balcony at his home in the estate on June 25 last year and suffered a dislocated hip.

His wife, Melisa, called IPSS Medical Rescue and asked that he be taken to Alberlito Hospital in Ballito.

However, according to an official complaint Garvey lodged with the HPCSA, paramedic Gareth Buckenham said no surgeons were available at Alberlito and its X-ray machine was not working.

Instead, he took Garvey to Victoria Hospital casualty in Tongaat, where more than two attempts to relocate the hip over a 6-hour period were unsuccessful.

On the morning of June 26 his personal doctor had Garvey transferred to Gateway Hospital where he was successfully operated on.

Garvey laid a complaint with the HPCSA as he and his wife had been given differing explanations by the paramedic and IPSS Medical Rescue management as to why he had not been taken to Alberlito, ranging from the X-ray machine not working to the unavailability of doctors and beds due to Covid-19.

However, Alberlito Hospital general manager, Thulasizwe Mngadi, rejected all of the explanations.

Beds had been available and the X-ray machine had been fully functional.

“Netcare Alberlito has 5 orthopaedic surgeons working in our hospital and 4 of them are part of the call roster that covers the hospital 24/7. The emergency doctor would have called the orthopod on call that day to come out and attend to you,” he said in an email to Garvey on July 2, 2020, which Garvey supplied to the HPCSA.

“Dislocating my hip was painful but what I went through the next 12 hours was really unbelievable and could have been totally avoided. I am very angry about the way this has been handled,” Garvey said in his complaint.

The HPCSA conducted a 9-month long investigation and has made a preliminary finding that paramedic Buckenham had been guilty of two counts of unprofessional conduct.

He has been censured for giving false information to Garvey and exposing him to harm.

The council imposed fines totalling R15 000.

However, IPSS Medical Rescue CEO Paul Herbst said the company did not agree with the findings and would support Buckenham at a public inquiry, which is yet to be scheduled.

“We believe there have been errors in the process and feel in necessary to represent ourselves. We stand 100% behind Buckenham,” he said.

Garvey said this week: “I am satisfied with the outcome of this investigation. The reason I pursued it for so long is that I do not want any other residents of this area to be subjected to this kind of treatment.”

Garvey said that in the event of having to call an emergency medical service, people should know what their medical aid covers in an emergency and have a good idea which hospital closest to where you live would be best suited for your family’s needs. “And demand to be taken there,” he said.