Standerton Hospital staff accused of xenophobia
“I had to phone him and would have made a plan for my wife to be admitted as a private patient,” he said.
The conduct of nursing personnel at the Standerton Hospital left a sour taste in the mouth of one individual.
An Egyptian man brought his pregnant wife to the facility on September 26 for a Caesarian section to be done by her doctor.
According to the husband, he went to fetch her file at the administration counter beforehand and the couple walked at about noon to ward 2.
Her physician was to operate on the woman, who was a state patient. They were told to go to ward 3, while the patient’s contractions had already begun in earnest.
According to the husband, all her medical records from a surgeon in town were in a maternity case file. The nursing staff then questioned the husband, saying they didn’t know him and added that their doctors did not know his wife.
A question was asked whether an amount of R1 500 was paid to the hospital, to which the reply was negative. The distraught husband called her doctor and finally handed over the cellphone to the staff.
“I had to phone him and would have made a plan for my wife to be admitted as a private patient,” he said.
Their doctor gave instructions that his wife be admitted to hospital. After her blood pressure was checked among others, a question emanated from the nursing staff.
“Where are you from?” From Egypt was the reply. “Egyptians are ‘skelms’,” was the apparent retort.
The nursing sister’s mother apparently had an experience in Egypt where money was taken from her. The husband said to the Standerton Advertiser the past week that a whole country can not be negatively labelled because of a single person.
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His baby boy had breathing problems and was admitted to ICU in ward 6. A new development was the barrage of questions directed at the husband.
The questions revolved around money matters and whether any money was paid to the surgeon and doctor at the hospital.
His wife was discharged the following day and the baby two days later.
“We were treated badly,” the husband added.
According to him, he brought food to his wife in the hospital and the nurse said it was not allowed. He duly apologised. This self-employed man shared his story with the newspaper on October 10.
An email was sent to the hospital CEO Nhlanhla Dladla on October 11 in which a question or two was asked about xenophobia and money matters.
Dladla phoned the newspaper the same day and said he was unaware of the incident and did not know the patient.
He requested the parties to arrange a meeting with him to resolve the issue.
He also said the correct procedure for complaints has to be followed and mentioned the complaints box at the hospital.
“This issue can not be resolved in the media,” the CEO concluded.
