Another amputee suffers horror hospital stay
Hester Petronella has had a large part of her right leg amputated due to an infection.
A 62-year-old woman had to wait two weeks in pain at Steve Biko hospital in Pretoria before she was finally operated on, her husband claims.
Hester Petronella was admitted to the hospital on August 30 after a serious foot infection, according to her husband, Paul.
“They took her in and she was very sick and the infection in her foot was just getting worse and worse,” said Paul.
Paul alleges that his wife, who also suffers from diabetes, was lying in the hospital for two weeks before going in for her first operation.
“She was lying there in extreme pain and nobody seemed interested in helping us.”
A large part of Hester’s lower right leg was amputated during the first operation.
Paul said Hester is still in the hospital and the doctors are still doing their checks and monitoring her situation.
However, he alleged that the nurses have not been giving Hester the proper pain medication.
Paul fears that the infection has not abated and that more of her leg will need to be amputated.
“How can you allow someone to suffer like this?
“They are not doing their jobs properly and my wife is suffering as a result of this.”
This is not the first time that Rekord has reported on patients having to wait for days on end in the hospital before an operation.
In October, 45-year-old Moot resident, Barnard Swanepoel had his foot amputated after four painful days of waiting for an operating theatre to be made available for him in the hospital.
His amputation was also the result of an infection.
Although his wife Annelize was happy with the treatment her husband received from the nursing staff, she felt four days was an unacceptable amount of time to wait for such an urgent operation.
“It was so frustrating to sit and wait there for an operating theatre to become available,” she said.
“We saw other people go in and just kept hoping that they would free up a space for him.”
She felt it was needed for the hospital to install new operating theatres to accommodate more patients.
Steve Biko CEO Mathabo Mathebula told Rekord there are a total of 21 operating theatres open 24/7 at the hospital.
When asked how patients are prioritised for the operating theatres, she said they worked in accordance with the international medical categorisation of the triage system.
“Among many things generally: appropriate infrastructure availability, ICU or high bed care availability and how life-threatening the condition is compared to others,” said Mathebula.
“We also take into consideration how many patients are waiting for similar or equivalent types of operation, how long the operation is expected to take, how urgent the surgery is, the survival rate if delayed, age, pre-illness, physical state and fitness.
“Finally, we look at the type of surgery, the availability and skill and where we can slot the patient in,” she said.
Comment from the hospital regarding Petronella’s case will be published once it has been received.
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