Nurse sues hospital after she loses an eye

Files R2.6-million lawsuit against former employer

A DURBAN nurse has slapped her former employer — the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital — with a R2.6-million lawsuit for alleged negligence she believes cost her the sight in one eye.

The High Court in Durban recently granted Vida Puckree, 52, permission to proceed with her application against the state hospital, despite filing it nearly three years after the allegedly botched procedure.

KwaZulu-Natal health department spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi said he was aware of the matter, but refused to comment on Puckree’s allegations of negligence.

In court papers, Puckree, who was employed as a nurse at the hospital’s cardiology department, said she began experiencing discomfort in her left eye and sought medical attention at two hospitals — including her own.

Both consultations indicated that Puckree, of Newlands West, had a cyst in her left eye that was impairing her vision. It was recommended that she undergo a procedure that would require intraocular injections of the drug Avastin to her eye.

Avastin is commonly used as a cancer treatment to slow down the growth of new blood vessels.

Puckree went in for the procedure at Inkosi Albert Luthuli in March 2010.

She claims in her court papers that the procedure was negligently conducted by both the nurses and doctor present.

Puckree listed 18 concerns about the procedure, which include;

The fact that the procedure was conducted in a non-sterile environment using equipment (needles, bandages etc) that had not been sterilised;

The employees did not test that the medication was in proper condition to be administered; and

The employees failed to offer proper care after the procedure was complete.

Puckree alleged that the lack of proper care caused her to suffer complications immediately after the procedure.

Her attorney Alex Crockart, says in court papers: “Puckree suffered from blurred vision and severe pain in the left eye . . . she suffered severe headaches and nausea.”

Puckree was readmitted to Inkosi Albert Luthuli the day after her procedure, where she contracted pneumonia.

She also had to undergo an operation to remove the lens in her eye, which left her partially blind.

Puckree also claims in the court documents that she had been informed that the batch of Avastin was “spoilt”.

“I have suffered severe emotional trauma and depression. I considered suicide and sought the help of a psychiatrist, who counselled and treated me.”

Repeated attempts to contact the hospital for comment were unsuccessful.

Mkhwanazi said his department could not comment because “the issue was the subject of a legal process”.