A King William’s Town woman is suing an East London doctor for allegedly incorrectly and illegally dispensing the wrong drug to her in a high dosage nearly six years ago.
Dr Lulamile Jam Jam, who consults for the Life Healthcare Group in East London, is alleged to have wrongly diagnosed Ziyanda Qubu with epilepsy and giving her Tegretol which is used to treat certain types of seizures.
Qubu was to take a 400mg dose twice a day for seven days, but before the prescription was over she allegedly developed an itchy rash which led to a rare condition known as Steven-Johnson’s Syndrome – a side effect of Tegretol.
She is now suing Jam Jam for R5.7-million to compensate for future medical expenses, past loss of earnings and alternative loss of earning capacity, estimated future loss of earning capacity, general damages, the cost of the suit, and further alternative relief.
She alleges Jam Jam himself dispensed the medication to her instead of giving her a prescription to redeem at a pharmacy.
According to the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965, as well as the rules and standards of the Health Professions Council of SA and the Medical and Dental Board, Jam Jam is not licensed to dispense medicines.
Qubu allegedly experienced the following symptoms:
- A generalised body rash that saw her hospitalised for over a month;
- A sore throat, extensive coughing and a high temperature;
- An inability to eat which led to the insertion of a feeding tube and a dietician being consulted;
- Pain throughout her body;
- Oozing blisters on her legs, broken and cracked skin and swelling of her face;
- Peeling of skin from her legs, torso, back, face, chest, shoulders and arms;
- Mental confusion, restlessness and violence;
- Itchy eyes with a discharge needing treatment;
- Qubu was diagnosed with toxic epidermal necrolysis, a deadly skin disease that results from a drug reaction;
- Sores in her mouth;
- Raw sores all over her body;
- Bleeding from her nose, mouth and open skin;
- An irregular pulse;
- Tachycardia and pyrexia (an abnormally light and rapid heart rate accompanied by a fever);
- Her eyesight deteriorated and she developed partial blindness; and
- It was found she would never regain full visual function.
Due to these and other symptoms, Qubu lost her job.
The case began on Tuesday and the matter was postponed to the last week of August. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za