Surgery backlog has dire effect on patients
It was an emergency and the child’s fracture should have been prioritised.
The backlog in orthopaedic surgeries has had dire consequences for a six-year-old who is permanently disabled as a result.
Last week, Polokwane Observer reported that the child had been in the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital for almost three months after being transferred from Helen Frans Hospital with a fractured arm.
She had been waiting for surgery on her arm since and her family opted to discharge her to consult a private orthopaedic specialist.
The child’s uncle, Victor Theledi said that the family blames the hospital and is a considering taking legal action since the child is now permanently disabled.
“It was a case of emergency and the child should have been prioritised. Now the bone has healed in the position it broke and the child has to live with a disability that she was not born with. It could have been avoided,” he said.
Another victim of the backlog is Thabo Makgeru, who was admitted on 9 February after being transferred from Seshego Hospital as an emergency patient with multiple fractures in his leg.
He was in hospital for over three months and was discharged on 12 May, despite not having received the surgery that he was told he will need.
He said that he was told that he will heal at home and in the meantime, use crutches to move around.
“I can hear my bones crushing with every move I make and the pain is unbearable. I have my X-ray scans that show clear fractures in three places but I was told that they will heal and I should go home. I was not given any pain medication or anything,” he said. Thabo is now at home, struggling to move around because of the excruciating pain from the fractures. He has a follow-up visit at the hospital on 23 June, however, the date seems to be in the distant future as he has to endure sleepless nights because of the pain. Department of Health Spokesperson, Neil Shikwambana confirmed that Makgeru has been discharged from the hospital.