Probe into baby’s death

THE grieving parents of a four-month-old baby boy who died after receiving an injection in hospital, will only find answers and gain closure once the results of a postmortem are released.

Little Lubanzi Cebekhulu died just hours after he was given an injection by a junior medical doctor at Ngwelezana Hospital on Saturday morning.

Distraught mother, Nomthandazo Mthembu (32) of Mzini Reserve outside Empangeni, said she took her baby to an Empangeni clinic last Friday after discovering an abscess on his right buttock.

‘Apart from a little discomfort, my baby was fine and was playing as normal. He showed no signs of any sickness.

‘The clinic referred us to Ngwelezana Hospital, where a young female doctor placed him on a drip and suggested that my baby needed antibiotics and Panado.

‘She then consulted a senior doctor for a second opinion. She said she had been advised to prepare the child for minor surgery to remove the boil,’ Mthembu said.

The grieving mum further alleged that the doctor returned with what she called an ‘anaesthetic injection’, so the baby would not feel any pain during the operation.

‘She removed the drip and injected my boy through the drip plug and he lost consciousness. The doctor then left us without saying anything.

‘We waited for her for hours and I was eventually forced to demand answers from the nurses in the casualty ward,’ Mthembu said.

‘Later she arrived and told me to take my baby home - while he was unconscious.

‘She said he would wake up after five hours. She did not perform the surgery she earlier indicated.

‘I questioned why my baby’s mouth and tongue had turned black, the doctor assured me everything was fine.

‘Because it was so late and I had no transport, I slept at a relative’s house in eSikhaleni.

‘At midnight I awoke to check up on my child and discovered he was ice cold, so I called the police and the ambulance.

‘My child was declared dead and was taken to the state mortuary,’ said Mthembu..

The deceased’s grandfather, Clement Cebekhulu (61), said they are awaiting the postmortem results to determine the cause of death. ‘If we are not happy with the government postmortem results, we will hire our own medical doctor to conduct it because we feel that the hospital is responsible for the death of my grandson,’ he said.

KZN Department of Health spokesperson, Ntokozo Maphisa, said the department was greatly concerned about the matter and an urgent investigation is under way.

King Cetshwayo cluster police spokesperson, Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose, said an inquest docket was registered for investigation at eSikhawini SAPS.