Patients are paying the price for feuds between Doctors

On the 17th of October, a patient went to Gateway Hospital at 17:00pm for medical attention because of food poisoning but was told her medical aid card was not acceptable and that she would have to pay cash. She then asked for a transfer to a hospital that would accept her medical aid card.

Sadly the Doctor at Gateway Hospital (Dr Gateway) and the Doctor at Umhlanga hospital (Dr Umhlanga) do not see eye to eye especially since the transfer would mean a loss of money for Dr Gateway. That led to the patient waiting until 3:30am the next morning to get a bed at Umhlanga hospital, all the while vomiting and soiling her pants in the waiting room at Gateway hospital.

Upon arrival at Umhlanga, she only received a bed and not even drip was provided for her. Note that she was being admitted for food poisoning which means she was dehydrated.

Dr Umhlanga only came around to see this patient at 10:30am and at 12:47 when I called the hospital, she still hadn't received any treatment. When I asked what the hold up was, I didn't get a straight answer. A nurse then went to the patient after my call to "reassure her that someone would come an insert a line for the drip," An hour later, still nothing. Its all a **** to get the patient to spend another whole day in hospital, which will mean more money for them. I failed to mention that this patient is a Jehovah's Witness and all this boils down is religious bias, pettiness unprofessionalism and incompetency

The sad reality is that patients are paying the price for petty feuds between doctors and for their religious choices