Issue 178 - FREE
1
JUNE 2018
Community News. Original - accurate - first
017 631 1903 / 017 631 1845 • admin@thebulletin.co.za • 1 Kiewiet Street, Secunda (Lake Umuzi)
Angel’s ordeal A little girl’s ordeal has shed some much needed light on the healthcare situation in Govan Mbeki over the past week. Angel Nzimande suffered severe burns on Thursday 24 May when she grabbed a jug of hot water from the kitchen counter while her grandmother was cooking pap. The water spilled all over the little girl, who lives with her mother, grandmother and siblings in Leandra. On foot, her grandmother and her mother’s friend began to rush her to Lebohang Clinic, and, as luck would have it, were given a lift. At the clinic, a “white substance” was applied to the burn wounds and Angel was dressed with bandages. “I was at work at the time, and when they had dressed her, they sent her home where she couldn’t eat or sleep,” said Paulina Nzimande, Angel’s mother. “They also opened a file for her and the sister at the clinic gave the instruction that her bandages must be removed and she must be re-dressed every day.” The next day, however, another sister at the clinic told them that she could not be dressed on a daily basis, and Angel was sent back home with the same bandages and a bottle of Panado syrup. “By then she had not been able to sleep and eat at all,” Paulina said. “I took her to the clinic again on Sunday, and then they cleaned the wounds and dressed her with dry bandages without applying anything first,” she explained. “They said that there was no medicine available for the wounds”. The mother was then told to come back the next day but was advised by an employee of Sanitech to take her to Bethal Hospital. When asked why she was referred to Bethal instead of Evander Hospital, which is closer, Paulina explained that she was told she would receive better healthcare there. Government hospitals, however, are expected to
offer the same level of service, which should be decent and helpful. “When we got to the hospital on Monday, the doctor found that her wounds were infected, and applied large plaster-like bandages, which are meant to draw out the infection,” Paulina said. She was then told that these were not to be removed for seven days, during which she could not bathe her daughter. On Tuesday, Paulina said, representatives of Sanitech booked a doctor’s appointment for Angel at
Mediclinic in Trichardt. “They told me that what was done at the clinic was wrong from the start, and they caused more complications,” she said. “They mentioned that the help we got from Bethal Hospital definitely helped in slowing the infection.” Angel received prescription medication from Mediclinic, which Paulina said she was grateful for. As the breadwinner of her household, she also expressed gratitude for not having to pay for the consultation and prescription. “I don’t have that kind
of money, which is why Angel stays at home with my mother instead of going to creche,” she said. “So this was really helpful, I don’t know what would have happened without the help from Sanitech. They also bought diapers and yogurt for Angel to help her back onto the right track. Paulina believes that Angel is in good hands and has seen an improvement in her condition. “She can now sleep and eats soft foods, which gives me peace as a mother,” she smiled. - Rori Rathebe
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