A PATIENT from Zizamele informal settlement in Butterworth, Eastern Cape, is accusing Butterworth Hospital medical staff of giving her the wrong medication years ago.
According to the family, the alleged negligence caused a lot of damage as Sbongiseni Samka (22) ended up paralysed.
Sbongiseni said she was first admitted to Butterworth Hospital in 2004 when she had a seizure. She was 10 years old at the time. It’s
alleged she got sick from the age of 7. She now struggles to speak and depends on her mother to move her around in her wheelchair.
The family claims that a few days after being admitted, her gums started bleeding and were swollen. According to the family, Sbongiseni was prescribed phenobarbitone and was discharged. A few weeks after being discharged, she got worse.
The family claims two private doctors confirmed that her health deteriorated due to the wrong medication from the hospital.
It was reported that doctors had found that the prescribed treatment was supposed to be given to an adult patient.
The private doctors ordered the family to go to back to hospital, and also asked for the treatment to be changed.
The family claims that seizure was just a minor temporary condition as compared to what the hospital had done their daughter.
“I won’t forgive and forget what the hospital did to me. When I grew up, I wanted to be a doctor but now my dream is being shattered as I’m paralysed. I can’t even walk.Hospital negligence has affected my life permanently,” she said.
Eastern Cape Health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said:the family should come with substantial evidence to support their claim. “If the family believes there was such an incident of negligence, they must lodge a formal complaint so that we can thoroughly investigate this.”
