Patient died with maggots in mouth

KZN’S Department of Health has ordered an “urgent and thorough” investigation, which will begin tomorrow, into the death of an RK Khan patient, who was found with a clutch of maggots in his mouth.

Images and a video of maggots wriggling under the swollen lip of 52-yearold Sadick Ebrahim, 52, while he was still alive, were circulated on various social media platforms this week. Ebrahim died at the Chatsworth hospital on Tuesday.

The Human Rights Commission of South Africa confirmed yesterday that they planned to undertake their own independent investigation and “get to the bottom of what happened to Ebrahim.

“We want to understand what happened and who was supposed to do what. Patients have the right to be treated with dignity and receive the requisite treatment. We are taking this matter very seriously,” said advocate Lloyd Lotz, provincial manager of the commission in KZN.

Lotz said the commission would call for the appropriate action to be taken if any human rights violations were found.

Ebrahim’s son Azaad said they felt let down with the level of care administered by the hospital.

“We rely on them (medical staff). We don’t think it is fair that some people don’t do their job properly,” said Azaad.

“It is traumatising for me talking about what we’ve seen. Every time I talk about it, it is with great difficulty. It’s still fresh in my mind,” Azaad said.

He said he couldn’t understand why some people said his father was neglected before he got to the hospital because he had evidence that he wasn’t.

“I have pictures and details to prove his condition before going to hospital. If he was at home, he would have died peacefully,” said Azaad.

Ebrahim was admitted on June 19, and the maggots were videoed by family on June 23.

A source at the hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The nurses also found maggots in the patient’s mouth before the family discovered them and dealt with it.”

The source explained that maggots occurred in batches, and the family might have seen the next batch that might have occurred in the patient’s mouth.

“He was very sick and had ulcers in the mouth already. It is not uncommon for maggots to form in wounds. The swollen lip might have been a reaction to treatment the patient received.”

The informant said Ebrahim was placed in the surgical ward at the time of his death and was among 50 other patients who received care from five nurses who were usually stationed there.

Chairperson of the hospital’s board, Reverend Cyril Pillay, said the board would by all means support an independent investigation and “heads must roll” if necessary.

“I want to personally apologise to the family for the maggot infestation.

“This should not have happened in our institution, which is one of the busiest and most productive hospitals in KZN,” said Pillay.

KZN’S Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-zulu, reiterated that stringent disciplinary action would be taken, should any individuals be found guilty of wrongdoing.

“We really don’t understand how things could have got to this level,” said Simelane-zulu.

She accepted that state-run hospitals were understaffed, and had many patients that needed care.

“We do not believe that it makes sense that a patient would be in our care for so long and, yet, when he left this world, he leaves in this particular fashion,” said the MEC.

Dr Imran Keeka, the DA’S spokesperson on health, said he welcomed the Commission’s investigation into Ebrahim’s death as it “was a clear case of negligence”.

Keeka said the hospital had a 91% bed utilisation, while other state-run hospital’s occupancy was between 70 to 80%.

“This means that the hospital should have been provided with more resources, cleaning and medical staff.

“Still, maggots should not be forming in people who are patients in a healthcare facility.”