DA calls for answers after patient’s cell phone torch allegedly used during surgical procedure
9 July 2019
The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal has today written to KZN Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, after being reliably informed that an RK Khan Hospital patient was allegedly asked for her cell phone torch so that a procedure could be performed on her. This as a result of the hospital light source not working.
The patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, had to have a surgical procedure known as an Episiotomy performed while delivering her baby in order to widen the birth canal. To repair the incision, she claims that she was asked to lend the midwife her cell phone torch to enable her to see what she was doing.
The DA is stunned by this revelation and the question has to be asked – how much lower can standards at KZN’s state hospitals sink? The horror stories coming out of RK Khan and other facilities are never-ending.
The Department’s claim that it is ‘not aware of this incident as a complaint being raised’ and its denial that the incident took place do not hold water – the DA is raising it now and we expect answers. In fact, the reason for a complaint not being lodged through hospital management is because the patient fears victimisation and also because she was fobbed off after laying an earlier complaint over poor service at this facility.