A Johannesburg woman is demanding answers after she slipped and fractured her ankle at a Chris Baragwanath Academic Hospital ward and allegedly went for days without receiving medical attention.
Ntombifuthi Nhancale, 30, of Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, was admitted on July 24 with labour pains. She delivered a healthy baby girl on July 27 by Cesarean section.
She was then taken to the ward to recover. While sleeping, Nhancale was woken up by one of the hospital staff who asked her to change her sanitary pad and the baby’s nappy.
Nhancale told Sowetan she asked the hospital staff member whether she could sit on her bed or stand up but the woman allegedly started yelling at her. Confused by the tone, she tried to get out of her bed and get on her feet.
“I was still in pain and a little dizzy. I tried to use the wall to keep my balance and then I fell. I was naked and I was bleeding. While I was on the floor, I could see the nurses at the work station and they could see me.
"They sat there and did nothing to help me. Instead, they said to me, ‘you are going to get yourself up from the floor, can’t you see how heavy you are’,” Nhancale said, breaking down in tears.
As she tried to stand and walk back to her bed, she felt that something had happened to her ankle but she was numb.
“I told them that I thought I had broken my ankle but the nurses said it had nothing to do with them. They told me I should just get back to bed and do what they were telling me,” she said.
Ultimately, Nhancale was able to get back to her bed and change her baby’s nappy. She said one of the nurses came to check her blood pressure and she alerted her that her ankle had been hurt.
Her ankle was strapped on July 30 and she was only operated on on August 3.
Hospital CEO Dr Nkele Lesia said it is normal practice for mothers to change nappies for their babies. She said this is done six hours post operation.
Lesia said the general practice is that a nurse is allocated to help the patient with the changing of napkins, if needed.
“Yes, the hospital has received a complaint from Ms Nhancale and the redress process has started. The first scheduled redress meeting with Ms Nhancale was held at the hospital this morning (on Friday).
“A follow-up meeting is already scheduled. For now we are not able to confirm or dispute what the patient has said about the nurses behaviour, the matter is still under investigation. However, if the findings reveal that there was negligence, the internal disciplinary processes shall be followed,” Lesia said.
She added that once Nhancale was diagnosed “relevant treatment was initiated. She was taken to theatre by the orthopaedic surgeon”.
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