Woman in pain as hospital turns her away, twice

A Mdantsane woman who fractured her leg was twice turned away from Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH) without the necessary treatment.

Bongiwe Ndlondlo said her mother, 42-year-old Nombulelo Ndlondlo, slipped and injured herself on Sunday but they were unable to go to the hospital the same day and went first thing on Monday morning.

He said there were 200 patients needing attention at Frere and the doctor had to go attend to those.

Hospital CEO Dr Mthandeki Xhamlashe said a patient had to book an appointment at orthopaedics.

“Ortho is a specialist area, not a walk-in,” he said.

Xhamlashe said they were still trying to sort out the influx from the December holidays where there were severe cases of people nearly losing limbs.

He was on his way to assist with a spine operation at Frere when contacted.

Xhamlashe said the issue lay in lack of communication with patients, and that some of the cases did not require specialist attention and could wait a few days while more dire ones were treated.

He confirmed that the hospital doctor saw only 30 people a day, where he assessed the patients and identified those in need of surgery.

After these consultations, he proceeded to theatre to operate on identified cases.

Xhamlashe took Ndlondlo’s details and promised to look into the matter.

Ndlondlo said she was still in extreme pain.

She said she’d had to hire a car to take them to hospital on both days – a round trip that cost R100.

Ndlondlo said she made a living selling snacks and loose cigarettes and could not do this in her current state.