WeeklySA_AdminRIGHTS: The hospital management will facilitate a meeting with the patient to address her concerns.
By Thuli Zungu
A 21-year-old foreign national is still in a state of shock after her womb was removed without her consent shortly after giving birth to a baby boy at the King George Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal last month.
Dulci Samuels Inguene, woke up to the saddest news of her life on April 25 when she was informed – without any prior warning by the hospital authorities – that the baby she had just delivered would be her last child.
Inguene says when she asked why her womb was removed she was told that it was a decision taken by the hospital authorities.
“There was no explanation as to why they hospital took that decision on my behalf or without contacting my husband or next of kin to authorise it if my life was in danger.”
Both Inguene and her husband have been left traumatised by the incident. The distraught mother now fears that her husband, who loves children, might leave her to have more children outside their wedlock.
The 21-year-old mother says she had a smooth pregnancy and was never suffered from any illness associated with pregnancy. Even during her clinic check-ups she was never given any medication related to a problematic womb or a womb in danger.
“If that was the case the clinic would have prepared me for hysterectomy but no adverse advice was given to her that necessitated the removal of my womb,” she says.
Asked for comment, the spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, Ntokozo Maphisa, said : “As is universal practice, the department is prohibited by law from publicly discussing confidential clinical matters.”
He added that health matters were often of a highly complex nature, where the cause of ailments, clinical interventions and patients’ prognosis may be influenced by a number of factors which may not be easily understood by people who are not clinically-trained including the media.
These factors, added Maphisa, may include why decisions that may appear “straight-forward” may or may not be taken.
It was against this background that the department discouraged the media from engaging in any attempts to oversimplify, speculate about and or engage in posturing on clinical matters in a manner that may seem authoritative and truthful whereas this may not be the case.
“Especially, given that the department is unable to answer due to above-mentioned legal prohibitions,” said Maphisa.
The department nevertheless wished to indicate that there are a number of precautionary clinical interventions applied to save a particular patient’s life, when she was under threat due to developments at the time.
“The patient was subsequently referred to another healthcare facility for further care and management,” said Maphisa.
The hospital management was busy facilitating a meeting with the patient to ascertain her concern and to provide any further information in a bid to address those concerns.
“Patients who are aggrieved, following a medical consultation or procedure, are advised to liaise with the Public Relations Officer, hospital CEO or District Director, whose details ought to be prominently displayed at strategic points at all our healthcare facilities, as per instruction by the provincial Health MEC”, Maphisa said.
Inguene however insisted that the hospital management failed to address her concerns when she demanded answers.
“What have they manufactured as answers or explanations now? I need legal intervention”.
‘APOLOGY’
BUT INQUIRY TO GO ON
RUSSIAN ARMS RIFT:
‘APOLOGY’
BUT INQUIRY TO GO ON
BILATERAL: Tensions eased as US ambassador Reuben Brigety “apologises unreservedly” over saga, but for how long…
By Lehlohonolo Lehana
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said today that the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, had “admitted that he crossed a line” and “apologised unreservedly” after he said a Russian ship had picked up weapons in South Africa.
The new development follows yesterday’s drama when Brigety, stoking diplomatic fires between the US and SA, disclosed that he was confident that a Russian ship under U.S. sanctions took abroad weapons from the Simon’s Town base in December, suggesting the transfer was not in line with Pretoria’s stance of neutrality in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
He was summoned today by the department, which “expressed the government’s utter displeasure with his conduct and statements made yesterday”. In a statement today, Dirco said, “We conveyed our displeasure with his conduct and he admitted that he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly.”
“The relations between the USA & South Africa are cordial, strong and mutually beneficial. We reaffirmed our commitment to continue to work together for the benefit of the people of the two countries.”
“There’s a commitment to use established diplomatic channels to raise whatever issue may arise in the management of the bilateral relations between the two countries,” read the statement.
Dirco added that Minister Naledi Pandor also spoke to her counterpart, US Secretary Anthony Blinken.
“As previously stated, the National Conventional Arms Control Committee has not approved any sale of arms to Russia related to the period and incident in question.”
Western diplomats were alarmed at South Africa carrying out naval exercises with Russia and China this year, and at the timing of a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
South Africa is one of Russia’s most important allies on a continent divided over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but says it is impartial and has abstained from voting on United Nations resolutions on the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin today discussed the conflict in Ukraine in a phone call with President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Kremlin said.
Yesterday, Ramaphosa’s office said an inquiry led by a retired judge would look into the allegations. Today, a Minister in the presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said South Africa had not approved any arms shipment to Russia in December.
The ministry of defence said today it would give its side of the story to the government’s inquiry.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby today declined to get into the specific allegations against South Africa, but reiterated Washington’s position about any country aiding the Russian war effort. After leaving Simon’s Town, Refinitiv shipping data showed the vessel, the “Lady R”, sailed north to Mozambique, spending January 7 to 11 in the port of Beira before continuing to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
It arrived in the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea on February 16, the data showed.
The United States placed the Lady R and Transmorflot LLC, the shipping company it is linked to, under sanctions in May 2022 on the grounds the company transports weapons for the (government of Russia)”.
Washington has warned that countries providing material support to Russia may be denied access to US markets. www.fullview.co.za
Published on the 98th Edition
