Toddler turned away from hospital

One resident claims she would rather die at home than face dismal health services in Newcastle.
A two-year-old girl was injured last Saturday when she ran into a glass shelf while she was playing inside her home.
The family, who wishes to remain anonymous, rushed the girl to the Newcastle Primary Health Care Clinic.
“We knew we had to go to the clinic first to get a referral letter, otherwise the hospital would not accept us.”
The nurse on duty, claimed the family, had to break open a cupboard just to get bandages to cover the wound, which was bleeding profusely.
After arriving at the Newcastle Provincial Hospital, they waited for about an hour for a doctor to see them, as there were no doctors on duty.
“The place is so unorganised. There are no signs up to tell you where to go. You have to walk for miles to reach the outpatients department, as the casualty is still closed.”
Once the doctor arrived and read the referral letter, the family said they were told no surgical procedures were conducted at the hospital, as he did not have the proper supplies or tools to stitch the wound.
They were subsequently referred to Madadeni Hospital.
“We do not own a car. We had to hire a taxi car at a cost of R120 to get to Madadeni, and then plead for lift back home.”
The girl’s grandmother was noticeably upset as she explained the situation at Madadeni Hospital.
“The hospital was very busy. We waited from 8pm until 2am to be called into casualty. We sat next to many very sick and hurt people. One lady had bandages from her knee to her toes and she was bleeding through them. There was blood all over the floor and my granddaughter had to sit and see everything.”
Nevertheless, they were determined to get treatment for the child. The young girl’s mother explained;
“When my daughter had to use the toilet, we were even more shocked. The conditions of the bathrooms were horrible. It was dark and smelly and very dirty. My little girl refused to use the dirty toilet. When we complained, one nurse told us that the child was small, she could urinate in the basin.”
After a long wait they were finally called. It was alleged the doctor accidentally poked the grandmother in the hand while he was injecting the girl around the wound. He carried on injecting the girl with the same needle.
“I got very upset at this point. I asked him, what if I had HIV, you would have infected this girl! He only replied ‘Sorry for poking you’. He also struggled with the stitches. He hurt her so much trying to push the needle through her skin. One of the nurses told him he was using the wrong needle. He changed the needle and finally was able to put in three stitches,” said the grandmother.
The family has lost all faith in the health care services. They are still reeling from the events of this weekend.
Madadeni Hospital declined official comment pending a full investigation into the allegations. Farouk Rehman, Chairman of the Hospital Board, was contacted and he expressed great frustration hearing these allegations.
“This is the second time I have heard that a child has been sent away from a health care facility in Newcastle. I personally promise that this issue will not go under the radar. I have already spoken to Mamusa Tshabalala, the District Health Manager and the Acting Hospital Manager. I demanded answers within the hour.The members of the board will conduct spot inspections on the hospital wards to ascertain their level of stock and tools. If anything is found lacking the appropriate disciplinary actions will be engaged.”
Mr Rehman also urged the family of the girl to come forward so that proper complaint procedures could be followed, to ensure that those responsible would be held accountable.