Mistreated, Unskilled and *********** Ampath's staff

In October 2025, I was admitted to Rosebank Netcare Hospital via the Swift Care Unit, struggling to breathe with a tight chest and unable to speak. After an emergency X-ray, my husband was taken by a nurse to the Ampath Labs near the Swift Care Unit for blood to be drawn. At that point, I was in severe distress and unable to communicate properly. The staff insisted that my husband push me in the wheelchair through a cramped office area with waiting chairs. They did not bother to make space or move the chairs and stood by and watched as he struggled with me. The wheelchair became stuck between the desk and chairs, and they proceeded to draw blood there and then. Despite being visibly in pain and distress, the nurses showed no care or empathy. I am a breast cancer patient with collapsed veins, yet they repeatedly *****ed me, causing severe pain. I screamed and cried when they attempted to take arterial blood, hurting my wrist quite badly. To make matters worse, a second nurse appeared, climbed on the waiting chairs, and literally climbed over my wheelchair — with me still in it — nearly falling in the process. Both nurses then laughed at their antics while I was crying in agony. It was only when the attending doctor heard my screams and came to investigate that I was finally transported back to the emergency room, where blood was taken properly through my cancer port by a skilled oncology nurse who was called in to assist. She was efficient, knowledgeable, and skilled, and the process was done in no time. This was atrocious behaviour by Ampath staff— unprofessional, unskilled, and entirely lacking compassion. I was treated like an inconvenience rather than a patient in crisis. One week later, I am still experiencing pain in my wrist due to their mishandling. This experience has left me traumatised. The staff’s conduct was unacceptable and dangerous. As a patient — particularly one in a critical emergency — I deserved competent, humane treatment. Instead, I was subjected to negligence, humiliation, and extreme pain. An apology can neither erase nor negate the trauma I endured. I will continue to speak publicly about this experience to ensure no other patient suffers the same.