Unitas Netcare - Worst treatment

<p> My ordeal started around the 21st April with a cough that did not ease up. I kept self medicating however nothing could help the cough I had.</p> <p>On the 15th May I discovered I was pregnant, I kept feeling worse with every day that went by I decided on the 17th May in the interests on myself and my pregnancy I should see a DR. </p> <p>I went to the Carlswald Healthworx where I was put on Augumentin antibiotics, cough medication, Illiadin and the Dr suggested a humidifier which I bought he same night.</p> <p>************</p> <p>A week went by with me feeling no relief and still deteriorating on the 22nd May I was taken to the Unita’s emergency room.</p> <p>I was attended to by Dr. Lee, she ordered blood tests and did a sonar. She picked up that I had a lung infection. She refused to admit me to hospital as she felt the hospital is not clean enough and the germs exposed to me being pregnant will be more harmful. I was then discharged with some more antibiotics. I left the hospital barely able to walk and in a lot of pain. I returned home and took the medication as ordered. The following day the 23rd May I started to feel even worse over and above what I went to the hospital for I now had diarrhea and before midnight started throwing up blood. I strongly believe I was not meant to be discharged and should have been admitted and properly attended to. As if all proper tests and medication given I could have been better by now.</p> <p>*************</p> <p>My husband then took me back to the Unita’s emergency room, only to be attended by a Dr who seemed very young, rude and not a very high EQ. she then requested blood tests to be done again. I am not sure what they expected to change in the space of 24 hours. We then just waited for hours to get the blood results which were received but just not discussed with us. Around 3 am the Dr comes and just says we are admitting you as the blood tests are not good. I barely even heard what she said as she mumbled a bit and I thought she said the blood tests were good so I was confused as to why I was being admitted. On querying with the nurse he says the Dr should have explained and will ask her to come discuss with us. After seeing the way she was snapping and speaking to other people around I said its fine don’t worry I will peak to the Dr that will be allocated to me once I am admitted. Little did I know that things were going to get worse.</p> <p>We then waited to be admitted and was sent to the ward around 4am. On arrival at the ward I find myself in a room with ladies who have been infected and re infected with a gastro bug for a few times. As per the nurse this was the reason I was admitted( this was completely inaccurate, did the Dr know what she was attending to me for?).</p> <p>My husband then requested I be moved immediately. Around 4h30 that morning I was then sent to a different ward which did not have patients with infections or germs which could jeopardize myself or my baby any further.</p> <p>The next morning I was seen to by Dr Basson who asked that I be sent for a sonar to check for gall bladder and stones etc, this confused me as this was not what I was admitted for or what I complained about. My symptoms were very clear but yet again I was ignored. The sonar was complete after 9am on the 25th May. I was not checked up on all day and the Dr did not do any evening rounds. Around midday I started to enquire when I could eat as I was sick the previous day due to the incorrect antibiotics and was very drained. After making several follow up I was able to eat for the first time around 2pm. The Dr still did not see me all day. On the 26th May around 9am I was seen to by a Dr. Gordhan who worked as if he just wanted to keep moving to the next patient.</p> <p>Dr. Gordhan says the sonars are all clear and due to the pregnancy there is nothing they can do for me. His exact words were to just suck it and be strong and deal with it as they cannot do anything for me so go home and rest. This after I seemed to have offended him when I questioned what tests they were doing when I was actually admitted for coughing uncontrollably and they picked up an infection in my blood tests.</p> <p>I then left the hospital still feeling just as terrible as I was when I was admitted. Now I keep telling myself that maybe I am not that sick and I just have to deal with. However I know that in my body I could feel I was really sick. I have never been sick or hospitalized before and I knew this time I was really sick but felt helpless as this specialist Dr tells me that I am fine and I must deal with.</p> <p>I proceeded to go home and try to recover.</p> <p>*******************.</p> <p>I then continued for what seems like the longest 2 weeks of my life just feeling more and more miserable.</p> <p>On the 7th June I went to the emergency room at Waterfall hospital. I was immediately ordered to do test and was admitted due to the infection count in my blood tests, visible pain I was in and excessive coughing which was going on for over a month. The Dr took into account the health of my baby and myself and knew I needed to be admitted. Clearly Waterfall Dr’s are confident in the state of the hospital as all Unita’s Dr’s said was that the hospital is not clean enough for me.</p> <p>I was attended to by Dr. A. Carrim that same night who examined me and also took time to listen to my ordeal, he sent me for X-rays and referred e to an ENT. Dr. Carrim is a true professional who made me feel calm and assured me he will take care of me and everything will be okay.</p> <p>The ENT Dr. S. Soma attended to me that same night after having x-rays and blood works done. He took me to his rooms in order to do full consult and properly did an analysis, made detailed notes and listened to my whole story.</p> <p>I was started on antibiotics, physiotherapy, nebulizing and pain medication.</p> <p>Dr Soma also picked up root cause of my cough which was fluid buildup in the maxillary facial area. He could not do a general anesthetic due to my pregnancy. He came to the ward and performed the surgery on Sunday morning.</p> <p>I owe my health and my unborn child’s health to caring staff and Dr’s at Waterfall hospital.</p> <p>*******************</p> <p>It seems like Unita’s is very much measured on how quick they get patients in and out of the emergency room and strive for low admission rate no matter how sick a patient is.</p> <p>I am still left traumatize and reeling from my experience. I have a 4 year old son at home who is even more affected by the ordeal as he has had to deal with me being so sick and not recovering, me being in hospital twice whereas if I was treated correctly the first time it would have minimized the time I had away from home.</p> <p>Unita’s does not care about the well-being of patients and just wants to make money.</p> <p>I understand business is business but this is different when you are dealing with people’s lives.</p> <p>I do not think I can explain how this experience affected, inconveniences and traumatized my family.</p> <p>I have so many medical costs and furthermore I have no support structure In Gauteng. I have had to keep paying for my mother to travel between Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng to assist with myself, my son and running of my house. If you check your records you will see my son has a history at Unita’s and has not had the best of health. So I was taken away from caring for my child. He even had a grommet procedure when I was admitted to Unita’s. My child feels traumatized and is acting out due to me being away for so long and I feel guilty as due to lack of Dr s****s I was taken away from my motherly duties.</p> <p>I request a refund for the R880 consultation fee I paid on the 22nd May, there is another bill of around R700 for the same day which I request be cancelled.(not sure what for if I already paid, proves it is all about money.)</p> <p>I also refuse to pay the radiology sonar fees for that day.</p> <p>Should I have been admitted I would not be liable for these costs.</p> <p>I pray going forward the Dr’s, staff and hospital management take accountability of the lives they deal with. To you I am just another number but the trauma and difficultly you have caused me to encounter is unexplainable.</p> <p>I await a speedy response so I can finally put this ordeal behind me and finally focus on a time in my life that should be happy and a celebration of a new life.</p> <p>I got a response a week later after mailing the hospital manager.</p> <p>I need feedback urgently as I need to decide where I will deliver my baby hence quick decisions need to be made regarding OB GYN</p> <p>Furthermore I require a written apology from the hospital</p>