Medical negligence!!!!

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE

NETCARE GREENACRES HOSPITAL ❗

MY DAD's DEATH - 10 minutes after we arrived home after being sent home by Dr F TERBLANCHE against our will and our request for my dad to be admitted for further observation as my dad could not even stand on his own or get into his wheelchair by himself!!!

On the 4th of January 2019, we took my dad to casualties at Greenacres Hospital Port Elizabeth. We arrived at approximately 10:30am. The time on his Netcare Emergency Treatment form is 10:43am being their "arrival time". Time taken to bed was 11:45am after we had BEGGED for him to please get a bed as we were worried and he could not sit anymore because he was too WEAK! 6.5 hours spent at casualties!

Reason for visiting casualties and symptoms described by my dad in the presence of my mother and myself: My dad had been having hiccups non-stop for 4 days. Together with the persistent hiccups, he experienced: shortness of breath, loss of appetite, lack of sleep and elevated blood glucose. We further expressed our concern to Dr F. TERBLANCHE that we are scared that my dad might be having a stroke or heart attack (WHICH WE ALSO EXPRESSED ON ARRIVAL AT THE HOSPITAL) as my dad was unable to stand up from out of his wheelchair on his own to go to the bathroom and was getting very out of breath and that it had happen the prior night. Together with the aforementioned we discussed my dad's medical history with Dr F. TERBLANCHE being that my dad is Diabetic (type 2), has high cholesterol, has high blood pressure and that my dad had previous heart attacks as well as a stroke. My dad also had two amputations, one of which was still healing. My mother had all my dad's medication with her and went through it together with Dr F. TERBLANCHE. We asked for Dr F. TERBLANCHE to please perfom an EKG just to make sure my dad is okay. Dr F. TERBLANCHE laughed at us for being concerned that it might be a stroke or heart attack and for suggesting a EKG, saying that it was due to "dizziness" caused by the drug called "Clopamon 10mg" (which were prescribed by my dad's specialist on a prior occasion for hiccups, which my dad had taken the night before to try stop the hiccups )and said that an EKG was not necessary.

Dr F. TERBLANCHE said that she will give my dad insulin to bring his sugar down, which was 15 at the time and treat his hiccups, which was still on-going, and she then walked off after ONLY pushing around on my dad's stomach and asking if he was nauseas and mentioning that she wants a urine sample for testing.

I did not feel comfortable with Dr F. TERBLANCHE's answer/explanation with regards to my dad's collapse the prior night and approached her at the front desk and again explained my dad's symptoms from the prior night's happenings and that I was worried it's an in-progress stroke or heart attack, but Dr F TERBLANCHE just laughed in my face again and said "it is the tablets that caused dizziness and that it is especially the case in elderly persons". I asked her if she was deadsure and she said YES.

A STUDENT NURSE was given the task to insert a drip into my dad's arm, which he struggled to do. The same student nurse, Mr N Noqleba, ALSO administered all the medication including that which were administered into the direct dripline WITHOUT ANY SUPERVISION!!!! INCLUDING INSULIN!

My dad could not pass any urine from his time of arrival at the hospital till the time he was discharged and his time of death. Dr F TERBLANCHE did nothing about him not being able to pass urine and suggested no alternatives.

Dr F TERBLANCHE struggled to successfully treat my dad's hiccups and could only get it to stop at 4:35PM ......THE AFTERNOON. Dr F TERBLANCHE then said she is going to discharge my dad. We then asked her why, as my dad was so weak that he could not even move himself around on the hospital bed or get up from it, Dr F TERBLANCHE then answered and said that there is nothing wrong with my dad and that she can't admit him as she has nothing to discuss with the specialist, therefore she needs to discharge him. We then told her that we can't even get my dad off the bed to which she answered "You should then get someone to come get him and to help him at home as admitting him would only be a short-term solution" for him being so "dizzy".

We asked Dr F. TERBLANCHE what we should do regarding my dad's bloodpressure tablets that night as my dad's bloodpressure was 94/64 to which she answered "DIS 'n GOEIE VRAAG" meaning "THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION" in English. His bloodpressure was abnormally low and we asked her why and she said it was due to the medication she had given my dad. She then suggested him skipping his bloodpressure medication that night.

With a STRUGGLE we left the hospital at just after 5PM the AFTERNOON. We arrived home. My mother undressed my dad on the bed and literally 5 minutes after that, my dad DIED in front of our eyes!!!!

FURTHER when the paramedics arrived, non of them could believe that my dad would have been sent home from the hospital, as it was clear from signs on his body that it was a heart attack! The paramedics phoned the hospital themselves in disbelief and shock to ask what his prognosis was.

We have discussed my dad's case with another medical professional and his/her opinion is VERY strongly on that it was either a stroke or heart attack and that the doctor was CLEARLY NEGLIGENT as the doctor failed to recognize the symptoms and address/respond appropriately to a high risk patient and failed to perform a simple EKG test which we had begged the doctor to do and which would have successfully detected a heart attac**** FURTHER persistent hiccups lasting longer than 48 hours can be a sign of a stroke or heart attac**** CLEARLY the case with my dad!

Dr F. TERBLANCHE wrote on the hospital file that my dad had hiccups for 4 days, lack of sleep, glucose elevation. SHE MENTIONED NOTHING ABOUT HIS SHORTNESS OF BREATH NOR THAT WE REQUESTED AN EKG TO BE DONE!

She also wrote that he has a heart problem, he is diabetic, he has hypertension and that he has amputations. SO SHE WAS WELL AWARE OF HIS HIGH RISK PROFILE!

She also wrote down all his medications.

FURTHER we had to FIGHT to get hold of my dad's hospital file. We asked to see the hospital manager after my dad's passing and was told he was NOT there and that we had to speak to the deputy nurse. We were **** to and was told by the deputy nurse, ARINA BOERS, who said that only the executor of the will would be able to request my dad's hospital file and that my mother cannot get it. It was only after we DEMANDED to see the hospital manager AGAIN that she gave in and walked to the next room, which was a glass windowed office -where he was sitting the whole time since our arrival, but we were told that he is not there,- that the hospital manager came to speak to us. The hospital manager made a big fuss as to how long it will take to get my dad's hospital file, after which he also gave in and took only a few minutes to get as it was still in casualties!!! In this same meeting with the deputy nurse and hospital manager, we were told that the student nurse that treated my dad, Mr N Noqleba, had already came to see the deputy nurse after he had heard my dad passed away from the phone call made by the paramedics to the hospital after my dad died at our home, but when we asked why he came to see her, they refused to say why!

It was CLEARLY EVIDENT in the manner we were treated that my dad's case had been discussed before our arrival at the hospital and that they were trying to refuse us to have access to my dad's information!

On our way out of the hospital, there were hospital staff standing around glaring at us and speaking among each other about us and it was clear that my dad's death was common knowledge!

We are beyond DEVASTATED and wish this experience upon NO ONE!!!

https://patient.info/digestive-health/hiccups-hiccoughs