Shakaskraal family blames Stanger clinic for dad’s death

A Shakaskraal family has been left with more questions than answers following the death of their father, who they believe would have been alive today if Stanger Clinic had done more.

The family claim that their father, 76-year-old Perumal Govender, was discharged without proper treatment or care despite presenting with symptoms of a heart attack.

He died of a heart attack within 24 hours of being discharged.

Speaking to the Courier, daughter Dereshni said that it was around 3.30am on April 18 when her father, who had chest pains, pain in the left arm and difficulty breathing, was taken by ambulance to the Stanger Clinic instead of the emergency room at Stanger Hospital.

When they arrived at the clinic 22 minutes later, paramedics explained Govender’s symptoms and their suspicions to the clinic doctor, who was about to knock-off for the day.

“This is when everything started going downhill. The attending doctor did not even put a stethoscope to my dad’s chest to check his breathing,” said Dereshni.

According to Dereshni, no standard testing to confirm whether her father was having a heart attack was carried out.

He was however provided with a tablet which she said made him throw up.

“I was then told to wash the tray he had spewed into. He had to use the male toilets for a urine sample and they do not even have a tap in there to wash your hands. The doctor said he had an ulcer and we were sent to sit in the waiting area.”

Having concluded his shift, the doctor left, saying that a new doctor would arrive and assess Govender within an hour.

This however was not the case, and instead, a nurse arrived 2 hours later and gave Govender a box of pain tablets, a gastric tablet and diarrhoea medication.

He was then sent home without a doctor again assessing him.

His final hours were spent at home having had a bath and sleeping for most of the day.

He was too scared to eat anything being afraid of upsetting a stomach ulcer as the doctor initially diagnosed.

“Around 1.30am the next morning, he woke up again and said he could not breathe. This time, it was bad and I was on the phone again to medics,” said Dereshni.

Within 10 minutes of arriving and after attempts at performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Govender was declared dead.

“We were told it was a heart attack,” said Dereshni.

“Our lives were shattered. My mum and I could not believe what had happened right in front of our eyes. We were a family of 3 and our days started and ended with each other. Our world has been turned upside down.”

Dereshni believes that had the doctor and clinic performed their duty appropriately, her father might be alive today.

“An assumption was made by the doctor that it was an ulcer when it was much more deadly than that. It would not have cost the doctor anything to spend a little more time on my dad and just do the necessary tests to rule out anything other than an ulcer. Given his age and symptoms, the doctor should have done more.”

The health department had not responded at the time of going to print.