Blame game begins at hospital
30 June 2009, 08:00
By Karyn Maughan and Solly Maphumulo
It's the blame game that has seen authorities rush to explain away the reasons why a critically injured woman was not admitted to a state hospital on Monday.
The ANC blamed a wildcat doctors' strike, while health bosses claimed that an electricity supply problem and paramedics were responsible. However, the head of the trauma unit involved says the hospital simply did not have the facilities to cope with an extra patient.
Gauteng health authorities are adamant that "electricity supply" problems forced Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital to turn away a mortally injured accident victim.
But the department's claims on Monday took a knock after the hospital's trauma unit head denied the power cut had anything to do with his hospital's inability to admit Mavis Ncube, and blamed a "lack of resources" for the problem.
Professor Jacques Goosen said that, after being hit with a "weekend from hell in terms of severely injured people", Charlotte Maxeke had not had the beds or equipment needed to care for any extra trauma patients.
"We were dealing with the end of month and the aftermath of the Confederations Cup... We were working like Trojans."
Goosen said the electricity supply to Charlotte Maxeke's trauma unit receiving area had been cut to allow for the installation of certain donated equipment, but stressed that supply had been maintained in the area next door.
Charlotte Maxeke came under fire after Talk Radio 702 reported that Ncube's employer, Nancy Turner, had claimed that Ncube had been refused admission. This was initially blamed on a "wildcat doctors' strike".
Turner said it was inhumane for a hospital to turn away a critically injured patient.
"How can they turn away someone who is critically injured? Now there is no hope anymore; she is dead," Turner said angrily.
Even the ANC in Gauteng blamed the doctors' "irresponsible conduct" and "incoherent sporadic rolling mass action" for turning away Ncube.
The furore prompted the Health Department to respond with its "electricity supply" claims - as well as harsh criticism of "the conduct of the paramedics who attended to the patient at the scene of the accident".
"According to our investigation, it would appear that the paramedics did not follow the required procedure. In terms of this, paramedics attending to a critical patient are required to take the patient to the nearest hospital, whether private or public, for stabilisation. The patient must then be transported to the appropriate hospital for admission and management," said department spokesperson Mandla Sidu.
He said Ncube had been knocked down by a car at the corners of Grayston Drive and Katherine Avenue in Sandown, and paramedics should immediately have taken her to Morningside Medi-Clinic, the nearest hospital.
"This necessitated that the patient be taken there so that she could be stabilised and transferred to a public hospital for further treatment. Instead, the paramedics tried to find a place in public hospitals. Only later was the patient taken to Morningside Medi-Clinic for stabilisation. She should have been taken there in the first place," Sidu said.
ER24 paramedics, however, presented a different story.
Ncube had died due to her extensive injuries at Morningside Medi-Clinic shortly after she was admitted. A clinic spokesperson, Monica Smith, however, would not give any more details regarding Ncube's death.
ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak said Ncube had been attended to within 15 minutes of paramedics being called to the scene. "She had serious head injuries. I cannot say whether her life could have been saved if she was admitted to Charlotte Maxeke," Vermaak said.
DA Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said Ncube's death highlighted the overstretched casualty services. "Her life may well have been saved had there not been time-wasting phone calls before she was admitted to the private Morningside Clinic," he said.
It's the blame game that has seen authorities rush to explain away the reasons why a critically injured woman was not admitted to a state hospital on Monday.
The ANC blamed a wildcat doctors' strike, while health bosses claimed that an electricity supply problem and paramedics were responsible. However, the head of the trauma unit involved says the hospital simply did not have the facilities to cope with an extra patient.
Gauteng health authorities are adamant that "electricity supply" problems forced Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital to turn away a mortally injured accident victim.
But the department's claims on Monday took a knock after the hospital's trauma unit head denied the power cut had anything to do with his hospital's inability to admit Mavis Ncube, and blamed a "lack of resources" for the problem.
Professor Jacques Goosen said that, after being hit with a "weekend from hell in terms of severely injured people", Charlotte Maxeke had not had the beds or equipment needed to care for any extra trauma patients.
"We were dealing with the end of month and the aftermath of the Confederations Cup... We were working like Trojans."
Goosen said the electricity supply to Charlotte Maxeke's trauma unit receiving area had been cut to allow for the installation of certain donated equipment, but stressed that supply had been maintained in the area next door.
Charlotte Maxeke came under fire after Talk Radio 702 reported that Ncube's employer, Nancy Turner, had claimed that Ncube had been refused admission. This was initially blamed on a "wildcat doctors' strike".
Turner said it was inhumane for a hospital to turn away a critically injured patient.
"How can they turn away someone who is critically injured? Now there is no hope anymore; she is dead," Turner said angrily.
Even the ANC in Gauteng blamed the doctors' "irresponsible conduct" and "incoherent sporadic rolling mass action" for turning away Ncube.
The furore prompted the Health Department to respond with its "electricity supply" claims - as well as harsh criticism of "the conduct of the paramedics who attended to the patient at the scene of the accident".
"According to our investigation, it would appear that the paramedics did not follow the required procedure. In terms of this, paramedics attending to a critical patient are required to take the patient to the nearest hospital, whether private or public, for stabilisation. The patient must then be transported to the appropriate hospital for admission and management," said department spokesperson Mandla Sidu.
He said Ncube had been knocked down by a car at the corners of Grayston Drive and Katherine Avenue in Sandown, and paramedics should immediately have taken her to Morningside Medi-Clinic, the nearest hospital.
"This necessitated that the patient be taken there so that she could be stabilised and transferred to a public hospital for further treatment. Instead, the paramedics tried to find a place in public hospitals. Only later was the patient taken to Morningside Medi-Clinic for stabilisation. She should have been taken there in the first place," Sidu said.
ER24 paramedics, however, presented a different story.
Ncube had died due to her extensive injuries at Morningside Medi-Clinic shortly after she was admitted. A clinic spokesperson, Monica Smith, however, would not give any more details regarding Ncube's death.
ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak said Ncube had been attended to within 15 minutes of paramedics being called to the scene. "She had serious head injuries. I cannot say whether her life could have been saved if she was admitted to Charlotte Maxeke," Vermaak said.
DA Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said Ncube's death highlighted the overstretched casualty services. "Her life may well have been saved had there not been time-wasting phone calls before she was admitted to the private Morningside Clinic," he said.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on June 30, 2009
Durban
