KZN Health probes woman’s death
THE Department of Health (DoH) in KwaZulu-Natal is investigating the circumstances surrounding a Chatsworth woman’s death after her husband alleged that she was neglected by staff at a local hospital.
The family further alleged that they were not duly informed of the woman’s death, despite calling the hospital for regular updates on her condition.
Tasha Soobramoney died at the Clairwood Hospital and her husband, Oliver Basaviah, is demanding answers from hospital management and the DoH.
Soobramoney was taken to hospital last month after having seizures.
Basaviah said she had never had seizures before and her family had been concerned.
Twenty-seven-year-old Soobramoney had a history of medical conditions, but had never had seizures.
She was taken to RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth and Basaviah said she seemed fine, but kept talking about things in her past.
He said she was later transferred to Clairwood Hospital and this was when the situation changed.
Basaviah said once his wife was transferred, he struggled to get hold of her.
He alleged that he called the hospital daily for updates on his wife's condition, but was not given any information.
Basaviah said he was often told that his wife was drowsy and weak. He claimed that he was also told to stop calling as he was “wasting his time”, and that only immediate family was allowed to call.
Soobramoney’s mother managed to meet a doctor who told her that her daughter had been diagnosed with meningitis shortly after her arrival at the hospital.
The family said they were not allowed to visit Soobramoney in hospital and were not aware of her condition, and only found out about her death after calling the hospital.
Basaviah said they had met Clairwood Hospital management, but were not given any answers about Soobramoney’s death.
KZN Health Department’s Ntokozo Maphisa said they were concerned about the allegations levelled against the hospital. He added that they had since requested a full report from hospital management regarding the matter.