A Croftdene family has sought intervention from the Department of Health regarding the quality of healthcare they received from RK Khan Hospital. Kubashinie Govender, family spokesperson and daughter of the 65-year-old male patient, said that the poor quality of care received by the hospital was “worrisome”.
She claimed: “On Sunday, 7 April, my dad had a bad fall at home, he just told us that his leg was numb. On Monday, 8 April, the numbness wore out and he began experiencing severe pain, so we called for an ambulance at 5.30 pm. We had to wait five hours for a provincial ambulance which is around 2km away from our home. Nonetheless, when he arrived at the hospital at around 10.15 pm, he saw the doctor confirming that he sustained injuries to his hip and spine, and had to wait until 8.30 am the next morning to see the orthopaedic surgeon.
“He was only admitted thereafter, which was 23 hours after he arrived at the hospital and a lengthy search for a bed. My mother was spoken rudely to by a nurse for ‘asking too many questions’. My father needed a urine bag before getting admitted and was told that he could only get one post-admission. He was given one paper cup to drink water from and then to urinate in afterwards.”
Govender said that despite the drawn-out wait, the tragic news they had to bear thereafter outweighed their frustration. “We were dumbfounded when we were given the news that an operation could not be done for my father at the hospital due to the operation theatres lacking ample equipment as well as air-conditioning.
“We were informed that there was a four to six hour waiting period, which may be longer, to be transferred to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital. How is this okay for a hospital that services the entire area of Chatsworth and its surroundings? My mother was most affected by this incident as she is hypertensive and diabetic, having to endure this experience with my father borders on inhumane since she was unable to eat on time or take her medication, neither could she leave my father as per the medical staff,” she claimed.
Govender requested the health department to investigate the hospital to ensure proper medical services are rendered to the community. “I would like the department to assess this hospital because it is insane for a major hospital like RK Khan to not have any necessary equipment on hand for emergency operations.
“Patients suffer without getting any positive assistance. During medical emergencies, it is also important for staff to be kind and helpful as patients and their families are scared for their loved one’s well-being. We received the exact opposite of this. We plead with the department to assist us in getting my father the operation he needs before the waiting period,” said Govender.
The hospital and Department of Health were yet to comment at the time of going to press.
