Pretoria, South Africa – 28th October, 2018: The family of an elderly Pretoria east man – whose leg is to be amputated – has accused Steve Biko hospital not only of gross negligence but also trying to cover it up.
In August, Rekord reported how a simple knee replacement operation at Steve Biko turned into a nightmare for the 72-year-old Johan Pretorius.
Pretorius apparently contracted a dangerous bacterium at the hospital. Amputating his leg is the only way to stop the bacteria from spreading.
Now his family is accusing the hospital not only of negligence, but also of tampering with his medical files to cover it up.
“Luckily, we have copies of all the documents that were in his medical file, which proves the trail of medical negligence by the hospital; as well as proof that my stepfather was diagnosed with the baumannii bacterium, a diagnosis made by Steve Biko.”
Pretorius and his family are livid at the alleged ill-treatment they have received at Steve Biko.
A frustrated Schoeman said the family was currently looking for legal representation, as they felt they had to be financially compensated for the trauma the hospital had put them through.
“There is a well-known doctor who can help in treating the baumannii bacterium,” she said.
“We feel that the hospital must pay the costs of the treatment, as all of this is due to [their] medical negligence.”
She said Pretorius was in a lot of pain.
“He has a painful rash all over his body and he suffers from shortness of breath.
“His knee and leg are constantly swollen and he has a hard time keeping his food in.”
The family said numerous written complaints had been sent to Steve Biko, but the hospital did not respond to any of them.
Dr Mathabo Mathebula, the hospital’s CEO, said the removal of paperwork from Pretorius’ file was a “wild” and “serious” allegation.
“If we remove parts of our file, how would we know how to treat the patient?”
Mathebula said there were “a lot of other options” to treat Pretorius.
“Those options get discussed between the doctor and the patient. For obvious reasons, a patient would remember the most serious of the options,” she said.
“Other options are staged revision procedure or suppressible therapy.”
Responding to the alleged lack of response to written complaints, Mathebula said that, such would have to be verified.
Mathebula told Rekord she was “saddened” by the family’s allegations and decision to pursue legal action.
“We do our best to assist patients and they come back with this kind of attitude.”
Asked if the hospital had reported any case such as Pretorius’, she said “bacteria are part of the ecosystem”.
“[Bacteria] will always be part of us and this one will be there in any healthcare environment,” she said.
“How you handle and control it, is what is important.”
Source: https://rekordeast.co.za/188913/update-east-man-pursues-legal-action-over-sbah/