An elderly, wheelchair-bound woman collapsed and died in front of her daughter after allegedly waiting several hours to see a doctor at Grey Hospital in King William’s Town this week.
The incident, which took place on Wednesday, was witnessed by several patients who were also waiting to see a doctor.
At least three patients who spoke to the Saturday Dispatch on condition of anonymity said a male nurse had carried on talking on his phone as the woman convulsed on the floor.
The health department later said the nurse had been talking to the doctor, requesting urgent attention for the patient.
Patients took pictures and video clips of the incident, which the Dispatch has seen.
The women’s emotional daughter, who also asked not to be named, said her mother had complained of stomach cramps on Tuesday night. The following morning she took her mother to a clinic in Dimbaza, which referred them to Grey Hospital.
The daughter said they arrived at the hospital at 11am and were taken to a room where her mother’s blood pressure was checked and a drip inserted. They were then told they would have to wait until a doctor could see them.
The daughter said her mother was in “agony” and continuously asking for help. They waited in the room until nearly 3pm without seeing anyone.
“That’s when my mother collapsed. Her drip slipped out of her arm. The nurse who had taken her blood pressure didn’t even see that because he was busy on his phone at the time.”
Eyewitnesses who spoke to the Dispatch said pandemonium broke out as the daughter started screaming hysterically.
They alleged the male nurse continued talking on his cellphone and did not immediately help the woman.
Despite efforts to revive her by hospital staff, she was later declared dead.
Contacted for comment, department of health spokesman Siyanda Manana said the nurse had been on the phone to the doctor when the patient collapsed asking him to attend to the scene urgently.
Manana said there was a clinical associate and a nurse present when the woman collapsed and two doctors later attended to her.
He said that “patients are generally attended to at the hospital quickly”.
“They are first taken for observation and then placed in the waiting room depending on the seriousness of their illness. The most critical are attended to first,” he said.
But three patients who were returning to the hospital for a third day on Wednesday when the Dispatch visited, said it was not uncommon to wait days to see a doctor.
Another patient complained about the state of the hospital. “It’s filthy. I doubt anyone ever cleans here, especially the bathrooms.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Gogo dies waiting for doctor
The incident, which took place on Wednesday, was witnessed by several patients who were also waiting to see a doctor.
At least three patients who spoke to the Saturday Dispatch on condition of anonymity said a male nurse had carried on talking on his phone as the woman convulsed on the floor.
The health department later said the nurse had been talking to the doctor, requesting urgent attention for the patient.
Patients took pictures and video clips of the incident, which the Dispatch has seen.
The women’s emotional daughter, who also asked not to be named, said her mother had complained of stomach cramps on Tuesday night. The following morning she took her mother to a clinic in Dimbaza, which referred them to Grey Hospital.
The daughter said they arrived at the hospital at 11am and were taken to a room where her mother’s blood pressure was checked and a drip inserted. They were then told they would have to wait until a doctor could see them.
The daughter said her mother was in “agony” and continuously asking for help. They waited in the room until nearly 3pm without seeing anyone.
“That’s when my mother collapsed. Her drip slipped out of her arm. The nurse who had taken her blood pressure didn’t even see that because he was busy on his phone at the time.”
Eyewitnesses who spoke to the Dispatch said pandemonium broke out as the daughter started screaming hysterically.
They alleged the male nurse continued talking on his cellphone and did not immediately help the woman.
Despite efforts to revive her by hospital staff, she was later declared dead.
Contacted for comment, department of health spokesman Siyanda Manana said the nurse had been on the phone to the doctor when the patient collapsed asking him to attend to the scene urgently.
Manana said there was a clinical associate and a nurse present when the woman collapsed and two doctors later attended to her.
He said that “patients are generally attended to at the hospital quickly”.
“They are first taken for observation and then placed in the waiting room depending on the seriousness of their illness. The most critical are attended to first,” he said.
But three patients who were returning to the hospital for a third day on Wednesday when the Dispatch visited, said it was not uncommon to wait days to see a doctor.
Another patient complained about the state of the hospital. “It’s filthy. I doubt anyone ever cleans here, especially the bathrooms.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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