After the suspension several months ago of nurses who allegedly left a sick child in a bed with soiled linen, another parent has complained about Gauteng’s Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital, accusing it of shoddy service and inadequate care.
The Vosloorus facility had fallen under the spotlight when a distressed mother took a video exposing the dire conditions to which her sick child was subjected.
In the latest case, reports TimesLIVE, another mother struggled to get treatment for her two-year-old daughter who had accidentally shoved plastic up her nostril on 2 July.
She had first taken the toddler to Phola Park Clinic, which referred her to the hospital as an emergency case.
Medical records seen by TimesLIVE Premium confirm the little girl’s referral from the clinic to the hospital and the case being registered a day later. Another note shows that she was finally seen on 4 July.
At the casualty ward, a doctor assessed the toddler, and then said he was unable to treat her.
“He said he would have to transfer us to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) unit. We were then moved from casualty to the hospital’s clinic,” the mother said.
Upon arrival, the child was checked by another doctor who apparently also couldn’t treat her but instead booked her to see an ENT specialist the next day. The duo returned to the hospital early in the morning and joined a lengthy queue for hours – only to be told it was the wrong queue.
“They said this queue wasn’t for patients under five-years-old and I had to join another one. I then did so and, after filling out a form, waited for nearly three hours,” said the mother.
“After those three hours, I realised I wasn’t getting help and went to inquire at reception. I was eventually told the doctor on duty doesn’t treat children and that the one who does wasn’t in that day.”
The family returned to the hospital the next day and it was only then that the little girl was finally seen by a specialist. But the doctor said he couldn’t see the object and sent her home with prescribed medication.
“That Friday morning, she cried, complaining about her nostril. I checked it and spotted the plastic, which I managed to extricate using the sharp end of a safety pin,” the mother said, adding that she was disgusted by the service from the hospital.
Ward councillor Nkululeko Sidu confirmed receiving numerous complaints about lengthy waiting periods, bad service and shortage of equipment at the hospital.
“We have escalated the issue …to the province as it’s a provincial hospital. But a lot of people complain, particularly (about the service) over weekends and especially Fridays – and about not getting attended to on time, even in emergencies.
“One patient had a damaged kneecap and had to have an operation – but he spent three weeks in hospital waiting for that operation.”
Sidu added that there had been engagement with the hospital’s management which showed an “element of willingness” to improve the situation, “but none from the staff itself, which is a problem”.
Hospital spokesperson Joseph Monageng denied allegations of a lack of specialist doctors, saying they were “available daily”.
“In the event that a fault is identified, or patients are unhappy with the service they receive, there is a readily available complaint system which they are encouraged to use to voice their concerns.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Unsafe working conditions continue at Vosloorus hospital
Hospital liable for child’s blindness
It’s not just about the number of hospital beds…