Gauteng Health can expect to fork out millions after a court confirmed a child’s blindness resulted from negligence at a state hospital after her premature birth in 2015.
The mother had alleged her daughter’s condition was caused by staff negligence at the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus, and that doctors and nurses failed to adhere to guidelines for the prevention, screening and treatment of a condition known as retinopathy of prematurity.
This is an eye disease that can occur in premature babies when abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina.
Due to the child’s extremely low birth weight and gestational age, it was mandatory for her to be screened for the condition at between four to six weeks’ chronological age, and continually thereafter at one- to two-week intervals, as determined by the ophthalmologist.
However, reports The Star, evidence during the trial established that she was discharged from hospital when she was about 36-weeks-old, with no follow-up appointment screening.
About five months later she was seen by a doctor at the hospital who diagnosed retinal detachment and retinal bleeds in both eyes.
She was referred to St John’s Eye Clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where it was confirmed she was blind, due to bilateral stage five retinopathy of prematurity.
Trial experts were unanimous that failure by hospital staff to arrange proper and timeous screening appointments, and discuss the risks and the importance of screening with her parents, caused the girl’s blindness.
The staff denied being negligent.
Judge Noluntu Bam said that in what may be described as a total disregard of the guidelines, they claimed to have screened the child for retinopathy of prematurity during November 2015, when she was between four and six-weeks-old.
The hospital also said it was not its responsibility to arrange follow-up appointments for the child upon her discharge.
A specialist told the court that retinopathy of prematurity is a major complication of pre-term birth. It varies from mild, which resolves spontaneously, to severe, leading to retinal detachment and blindness.
He said that irrespective of the underlying cause or additional risk factors, the condition was widely regarded as a preventable cause of childhood blindness.
One of the most important aspects of prevention is ophthalmological screening and treatment of vulnerable infants.
The experts were clear on the need to comply with the guidelines – and to discuss the risks of retinopathy of prematurity and the importance of screening, with the parents, saying that had the guidelines been complied with, with the requisite standard of care, there was no reason to doubt that the girl, in all probability, would have vision today.
The court concluded that the medical staff were negligent, leading to her blindness.
The Gauteng Health Department was found liable for the damages and the amount payable will be determined at a later stage.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Durban girl blinded with retinopathy of prematurity gets R11.6m award
Mpumalanga Health to pay R15.7 for child blinded at birth
Gauteng’s negligent medical ‘professionals’ get off scot-free