Maphumulo mother told to “take her daughter home to die”

A Maphumulo mother, Nomusa Khuzwayo, is going through a traumatic and painful time as she gets to see her five-year-old daughter lying in bed with her eyes closed and breathing and feeding tubes inserted, but without medical help after she was told the child would die 21 days ago.

Khuzwayo said her daughter, Nosipho Dube, was sick and vomiting when she was admitted to Stanger Hospital in April.

She was told that Nosipho had tuberculosis and she was given treatment. Nosipho kept on vomiting, which staff said was a reaction to her medication.

After few days she was transferred to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, where she spent five more days before being sent for a scan. Khuzwayo was told that Nosipho did not have TB but had fluid in her head.

“At that time, she was sick but she was talking and she could walk and play with other children. An operation was conducted and her situation became worse. When I saw her after the operation, I fainted because I did not expect to see my child in that condition. She was just lying down there unconscious with pipes around her. I woke up in a room where there was a lady who gave me counselling.”

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After three weeks, Khuzwayo asked if she could go home because she was also getting sick due to stress. A doctor told her that she could go for four days.

“On the third day, I got a call from the hospital. They said I must make sure that I return on the fourth day because there was no improvement in the child.

“They said they want to take Nosipho for a scan again and check why she was not waking up. They did the scan and told me that she has brain cancer. They asked me to allow them to put a breathing tube and treat the cancer. I agreed but the situation did not change. After few days, Nosipho opened her eyes and I was called and told that they have failed to help her and they apologised.”

She was transferred back to Stanger Hospital, the reason given that Stanger is closer to her home. She was told that everything was arranged for her at Stanger Hospital.

“When I arrived at the hospital nothing had been prepared for her. We spent hours with no help and nurses said they had never dealt with such a condition, therefore they were afraid to take the risk of helping her. So I had to clean and feed my child. The doctor told me to take Nosipho home. I was given four baby formulas.”

She was told that should the child be alive after seven days, she must bring her back to the hospital for the tubes to be changed.

However on her return she was told that she must go to the clinic as nobody at the hospital could change the tubes.

But at the clinic she was told that she can only be helped at the hospital.

When she went back to the hospital she was given new tubes and told that she must change them herself at home.

“I am not a nurse or a doctor and I don’t know how to change these tubes. However, when I was still at the hospital, I used to watch how they changed the feeding tube. So I do change it and I hope I am doing it the correct way. About the breathing one, I have no clue how to change it and it was supposed to be changed but I am scared to take that risk,” said Khuzwayo.

Approached for comment, a spokesperson for the KZN Department of Health, Ncumisa Mafunda, said they could not discuss a patient’s clinical information but said Khuzwayo’s version of events was totally different to what they had been told.

“The department can confirm that a particular patient has received extensive care from a range of medical specialists at two of its health facilities. The patient was admitted at one of these facilities for two weeks, and during that time the patient’s mother was admitted in the mothers’ lodging facility and counselled extensively by a team of specialists. The mother appeared to have understood the complexity of the child’s condition and, along with other family members, also received training in the required care of her child,” said Mafunda.

She further said Nosipho has a follow-up appointment scheduled for June 26. However, Khuzwayo said she had not been told of any appointment.

“The Department views the allegation that ‘she was told by the Stanger Hospital that her child would likely die the day after she was discharged very seriously’ and would encourage the mother to identify the person who allegedly said this, so that hospital management can look into it.”

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