The Gauteng department of health has dismissed claims that a patient was left blind in one eye because of broken equipment in the eye clinic at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Tshwane.
The allegations are “factually flawed” and not supported by the patient’s medical records, the department said.
DA MPL Madeleine Hicklin said on Monday: “A patient has been left permanently blind in their right eye after waiting six months for retinal surgery. The delay in surgery was caused by the failure of the compressor and suction systems needed for operating the constellation machine, which have broken down and have yet to be replaced.”
Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department sympathised with the patient and acknowledged the distress associated with deteriorating or lost vision, but cautioned against drawing conclusions without verified clinical information.
According to the department, the patient experienced medical complications arising from previous surgical procedures.
Mabona said specialists at another hospital within the Steve Biko Academic Hospital cluster had assessed the patient and decided to operate on the eye that had a better chance of retaining vision.
Presenting these challenges as the direct cause of the patient’s permanent blindness disregards the documented medical history and creates a distorted account of the circumstances
— Steve Mabona, department spokesperson
“The patient was informed, through a counselling process, that the prognosis for the other eye was already poor and surgery was unlikely to restore vision. It is therefore inaccurate and misleading to attribute the irreversible loss of vision solely to the equipment and infrastructure challenges at the hospital,” he said.
“The department acknowledges the procurement delays relating to infrastructure issues which affected service delivery. Processes are at an advanced stage to procure necessary equipment to resolve this matter. Delivery of equipment is expected in due course to alleviate the situation.
“It must be emphasised that the patient’s clinical records do not support the claim that the infrastructure challenge contributed significantly to the blindness. Presenting these challenges as the direct cause of the patient’s permanent blindness disregards the documented medical history and creates a distorted account of the circumstances.”
Mabona also expressed concern about what he described as the “careless” handling of confidential and complex patient matters without first establishing all the facts.
“We all have a responsibility to communicate health matters accurately, particularly where unverified claims may cause unnecessary anxiety among patients awaiting care, and as such we must be cautious at all times.”
The department said it is focused on restoring affected services.
“We continue to prioritise the restoration of affected services, the maintenance of essential infrastructure and medical equipment and appropriate referral pathways between facilities. Patients requiring specialist ophthalmic care will continue to be clinically assessed and referred to facilities capable of providing the required interventions,” said Mabona.
He said the department remains committed to treating patients with dignity, restoring affected services and ensuring communities receive accurate information about health care services.
TimesLIVE
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