Durnacol man dies after paramedics fail to help
Paramedics turn family away because of shift change
A Durnacol family is still reeling following the loss of husband and father, Alvis Deonath, 27, due to a case of alleged medical negligence.
Wife, Nancy Deonath, believes her husband, would still be alive today if paramedics attended to him on time.
On the evening of April 3, Mr Deonath suffered an asthma attack at his Durnacol home. Living a few houses away from the clinic, his family rushed him there quickly with the help of community members.
The clinic was closed, however, the security guards, seeing that it was an emergency, let them through to the EMRS base.
The paramedics on duty, without examining Mr Deonath, told the family that they need to take him to the Dannhauser Community Health Clinic as they were ‘in the middle of changing shifts’.
The Dannhauser CHC is approximately 10kms away. By the time they rushed him to the CHC and got him into a wheelchair, he had passed away.
A community member helped Mrs Deonath draft a letter of complaint which was submitted to the head of the EMRS, Mrs Shezi.
She contacted Mrs Deonath promising that action would be taken, but at the time of going to press, nothing had been done. Mrs Shezi is also alleged to have told Mrs Deonath ‘that when someone’s time is up, it’s up.’
Mrs Deonath argues that if her husband received medical treatment from paramedics, he would still be alive today.
Mr Deonath, who was the breadwinner of the family, leaves behind his wife and two children, aged ten and two. Numerous attempts were made to contact the public relations officer of the Clinic and the Department of Health’s Communications Officer in Pietermaritzburg.
A letter was also sent to KZN Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, to deal with the matter, however, at the time of going to print, all calls have fallen on deaf ears and no response has been received. News of the tragedy surfaced in the week when, ironically, the KZN Health Department awarded prizes for the best and most caring medical staff, hospitals and clinics in the Province.
