Maggots feast on centenarian’s toe

The Ndlela family from rural Ndwedwe is accusing Verulam’s Osindisweni Hospital of negligence – allowing maggots to feast on their grandfather’s toe while in their care.
Myeyiseni Aron Ndlela (100) was admitted to Osindisweni on January 27 with a sore on his left toe. His granddaughter Mpume said the family always panicked when their grandfather had an open sore because he is diabetic.
“We have been advised numerous times by community care givers to be extra careful when he has a cut or sore because of his sugar condition. So when the sore had not healed for over a week we took him to the hospital,” said Mpume.
“He told us the nurses ignored him and we thought he was probably lonely. On Sunday, February 2 I got a call from the hospital telling me he had been crying for hours. When I eventually got there I found him sitting on the bed with his foot not bandaged,” said Mpume.
She said was shocked when she saw maggots moving in and out of his skin.
On Monday, Mpume found her grandfather properly bandaged but he told her that they had not cleaned the maggots before they bandaged it and he could still feel them moving inside the dressing.
“The sore was made deeper by the maggots but it is drying up nicely,” said Mpume who also told the Courier that Osindisweni’s CEO, Mrs Ngcobo had contacted the family on Monday after the newspaper tried to get a comment from her.
“We find it very insulting that she now wants to send a car to take my grandfather back to the hospital while she ‘investigates’ what happened when she was nowhere to be found last week.”
Attempts to get comments from the hospital and the provincial health department were unsuccessful.