The parents of a 5-year-old boy – who is physically, mentally and emotionally impaired – were awarded R12.9m in damages yesterday by the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) in a medical negligence case against KZN Health.
The Witness reports that during labour, the mother was negligently managed – a C-Section was not performed when required and there was no back-up for labour emergencies. As a result, the baby was oxygen deficient during delivery and, or, immediately after delivery, which caused brain damage.
The child suffered from cerebral palsy with poor muscle tone, involuntary movement, an inability to sit, crawl or walk, an inability to speak and stiffness of the lower and upper limb muscles. The claim added that the child would require future hospital and medical treatment and devices that were reasonably necessary for a person with this condition.
[link url="http://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-witness/20150519/281509339768558/TextView"]Full report in The Witness[/link]