The chief executive and medical manager at a Newcastle Hospital have been suspended after the hospital allegedly refused to help a stabbing victim.
|||Durban - The chief executive and medical manager at Newcastle Provincial Hospital have been suspended following allegations the hospital refused to help a stabbing victim who later bled to death.
Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo announced this on Wednesday, saying his department was concerned by the incident as no patient - especially in emergency cases - should be refused help by any health institution.
According to reports, 21-year-old Marklin Kally bled to death two weeks ago after the hospital - a regional mother- and-child hospital - refused to treat him, saying it handled only child cases.
He was allegedly referred to Madadeni hospital, some 16km away.
He had been stabbed after being accosted by a gang 2km from the hospital.
After being turned away from the Newcastle hospital, Kally’s parents took him to Madadeni hospital, but he died on the way there.
Dhlomo said the two officials had been suspended pending the finalisation of investigations into the incident.
Similarly, the Health Department said it would investigate claims that a heavily pregnant woman was forced to give birth on the street after being turned away from the KwaMashu Poly Clinic.
IFP MPL Ncamisile Nkwanyana called for heads to roll, saying such behaviour by hospital staff was the reason why the department was facing many lawsuits.
Dhlomo said he would be back at the legislature to table an executive statement on the matter as his department viewed it very seriously.
l Meanwhile, Dhlomo announced a number of measures to be introduced by his department in the current financial year.
These would include the introduction of night-time aeromedical services. It would entail buying an additional aircraft to supplement the existing helicopter and two fixed-wing aircraft.
Dhlomo said the programme would require additional lighting at airstrips, as well as the provision of night-vision goggles, which would cost the department about R3 million.
bheki.mbanjwa@inl.co.za
Daily News