Doctors, nurse suspended over teenager’s death
KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo made the announcement at Durban’s Mahatma Gandhi Hospital on Tuesday.
The 19-year old Reveshen Pandather was brought to Osindisweni Hospital north of Durban on Saturday where the doctor allegedly refused to admit him.
The ambulance service then proceeded to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Durban, where the doctor at that hospital’s accident and emergency unit allegedly insisted that the teenager be returned to Osindisweni hospital or be taken to Addington Hospital.
Dhlomo said he was “appalled” at the alleged treatment that he teenager had received.
He said a preliminary investigation had revealed that the doctor at Osindisweni Hospital had not assessed he patient nor called a senior doctor to help her. She had also not written a referral letter for Mahatma Gandhi Hospital.
The nurse at the Osindisweni Hospital failed to open an admission file and record the teenager’s vital signs, such as his pulse and his blood pressure.
Dhlomo said the initial investigation revealed that the doctor at Mahatma Gandhi’s emergency unit had been informed that a patient in a critical condition had arrived.
“The doctor refused to treat the patient and told the paramedics that they must either take the patient back to Osindisweni or proceed to Addington. The patient died at casualty while still being on the stretcher without having been given necessary attention.”
Dhlomo said that the Health Professions Council of South Africa as well as the Nurses Council would be informed.
He said a district physician was appointed by the department to investigate and provide his findings within the next three days. -ANA
(File Photo: Gallo Images)