Ballito teen on the mend after hospital transfer and urgent surgery

Caught up in the nurse’s strike when he was rushed to the General Justice Gizenga Mpanza Regional Hospital on Wednesday with suspected sepsis, 13-year-old Ballito skater Miguel Marais is on the mend after his father managed to get him transferred to Netcare Alberlito Hospital for urgent surgery.

With Miguel needing urgent treatment, his father Adriaan and friends worked frantically to make a transfer to Alberlito possible as Miguel was stuck in a men’s ward of 80 patients with only two stressed and overworked nurses trying to cope, his father said.

This while protesting National Education, Health, and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) nurses blocked the entrance to the state hospital.

Adriaan refuted earlier media reports indicating protestors attempted to forcefully remove his son from the ambulance when they tried to enter the hospital. He said a report of a panga-wielding nurse attacking the ambulance was also incorrect.

Adriaan said he followed the ambulance which took his son to the KwaDukuza hospital.

“The ambulance was initially stopped at the gate by the protesters. It seemed as though people were shaking it.”

IPSS Medical Rescue reported their ambulance was set upon by protestors, who allegedly assaulted the driver by punching him in the face.

IPSS spokesperson Dylan Meyrick said they had opened a case of assault with the police.

The ambulance and Adriaan were eventually allowed access to the hospital.

“I could see the staff were dead tired, some having worked as long as 36 hours non-stop,” Adriaan said.

Miguel was injured while skating last Friday. He fell and hurt his leg.

They didn’t think much of the injury at first, with Miguel and his brother Rueben still heading off to the youth club at Linc Church later that evening.

He only started complaining of severe pain in his leg later that evening, which worsened during subsequent days until sepsis was diagnosed and he had to be admitted to hospital.

Given the state of affairs at the state hospital and the Marais family not on medical aid, friends and local residents rallied to raise funds to facilitate Miguel’s transfer to and surgery at Alberlito Hospital.

Adriaan said if it wasn’t for the Ballito community’s support, he shudders to think what the outcome could have been.

“They operated on his leg on Thursday and managed to clean out the sepsis. He’s recovering well,” Adriaan said this afternoon (Friday).

Anyone in a position to further aid the Marais family can contact Elri Marais at 063 696 3281.

Meanwhile, the protest action at General Justice Gizenga Mpanza Regional Hospital continued today on day five of the national nurses’ strike.

The hospital’s Nehawu secretary, Sandile Ntazi, said the status quo remained and they would keep protesting until their demands were met.

Nurses demand a wage increase of 10% as opposed to government’s proposed 3% increase.

Union members are also demanding a housing subsidy.

“This is a peaceful protest. We are not preventing any of the nurses from working. There are staff inside and anyone who would like to go to work can do so,” Ntazi said.

Asked why he earlier said they were checking the ambulance to determine whether nurses were being taken into the facility without their knowledge. Ntazi today claimed staff were being intimidated to return to work and they would undertake due diligence to prevent this from happening.

ALSO READ: Medics claim assault by striking Nehawu nurses at KwaDukuza

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