Yusuf Dadoo

7 November 2019

HEALTH PROFESSIONS COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA

RE: MALEPRACTICE, CRUELTY AND FALSE INFORMATION

To whom it may concern My mother when to Yusuf Dadoo Hospital on the 4th of December 2018 with pain on the right side of her stomach. After waiting almost the full day for somebody to help her Doctor who saw her examined her and told her that she as a ******* colon and he gave her some tablets. My mother was very pale and we insist that they do some tests on her for she was not well at all. After doing a blood test for the blood count in her body it was only 2 and it should be 12. The Doctor told us that my mother needs blood urgently and also an iron supplement. After waiting for the blood to come from Leratong Hospital they did a blood transfusion. Not once did any Doctor, Sister or Nurse tell us where the blood was going, or ask any question to try and find out why her body was losing blood. After just lying there for two days without any treatment or tests done accept the blood transfusion the sent her home on the 6th of December with low blood pressure and a few iron tablets. In the New Year my mother when back to Yusuf Dadoo hospital for follow up appointment only to hear exactly the same answers that she has not enough iron in her blood and they gave her iron tablets. No tests whatsoever was done even though she told them that she has pain on the right side of her stomach, they kept on saying that it is a ******* colon and that it is conception. On 16 September 2019 my mother when back to Yusuf Dadoo Hospital with a lot of pain once again on the right side of her stomach. After seeing the Doctor the he told her that he will send her for an X-ray but unfortunately they can only help her on the 18th of October 2019. My mother phoned me and I arranged for a private X-ray to be done at the Wilgeheuwel Private Hospital that we had to pay cash because my parents are only receiving SASSA. The results were shocking. An urgent biopsy needs to be done. ULTRASOUND ABDOMEN AND PELVIS: K82.9, N28.1, R59.9 Findings The liver demonstrates no focal pathology or dilated ducts. Gallbladder demonstrates gallbladder sludge. The pancreas is unremarkable. The kidneys demonstrate pa****lvic cyst formation bilaterally Para-aortic lymphadenopathy is present. Also circumferential mural thickening ( 1 cm) of the ascending colon distribution on the right. Also mass lesion associated with this distribution measuring 2.7 x 2.3 cm as well as 7.6 x 11.5 mm and 7.8 x 6.9 mm. The spleen appears normal. There is no free fluid in the upper abdomen or pelvis. Comment Circumferential mural thickening of the ascending colon distribution, with associated exogenous bowel mass/lymph node as well as para-aortic lymph nodes. Features are suggestive of a bowel related neoplasia with lymphadenopathy. Further endoscopic evaluation/ biopsy should be performed. CT staging of the chest, abdomen and pelvis also indicated. Thank you for the referral, Dr Peter Goldschmidt 16-Sep-2019 11:10 Bianca Tout PATIENT NAME: ANNA SUSANNA FOURIE BIRTHDATE: 08-Jul-1952 GENDER: Female PATIENT ID: QP-576359 ORDER #: WH*** DATE OF EXAM: 16-Sep-2019 10:44 REFERRER: - NO REF DR

With the results of this Ultrasound and the photos my mother went back to Yusuf Dadoo Hospital the next day. They looked at the report and photos and agreed that she needs to go for an urgent biopsy; they will be able to help her on the 9th of February 2020. Obviously we could not leave it till then and we phoned Dr A Pappas at the Flora Mayo Clinic. We emailed the Ultrasound reports through to him and he contacted us back saying that we need to do a biopsy very very urgently and that he will book us for Friday 20 September 2019. Obviously we had to pay cash for this procedure again. When we received the results of the biopsy Dr Pappas informed us that she has colon cancer and that she has it for a long time already. He was very upset to learn that my mother had a blood transfusion without any testing to find out where the blood was going to. Apparently you need to find out where blood is going if your body is losing blood it is a clear symptom of something seriously wrong. Dr Pappas phoned us on the 28th of September informed us that the cancer has spread and the she is very sick. He suggested that we take her to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital to do more tests and also to discuss treatments. Because my parents do not have medical aid Dr Pappas gave us a reversal letter for a Prof. D Bizos at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. We had to be there on the 1st of October 2019 at 7 O’clock with the referral letter. We arrived at the Hospital at 6 O’clock in the morning waiting until all the Doctors and Interns had their daily morning meeting. At about 10 O’clock my mother was feeling very sick and she was very pale. She was sitting in a wheelchair for 4 hours already. At 11 O’clock they told us that she will be admitted. They sent her for X-Rays, ECG, several blood tests and we went back to the ward 396. At 2pm my mother was still sitting in the wheelchair very nauseous and sick. We kept on asking them please tell as when she will be admitted because her body is tired and that she does have cancer. They kept on tell us sit we will call you. Very rude staff. At 3pm we inquired again about a bed and they told us that there is no bed yet and that we must go and open a file down stairs at 4pm they tell us this. We went down stairs with my sick mother in the wheelchairs to open a file. On arrival they told us they do not open files down stairs we they must help us in the ward to open a file. We went back upstairs to the ward and they sent us down stairs again saying that they do not have anybody to open a file in the ward we must just go back town stairs. We went back down stairs and once again we were told the same story, at that time we could not stand this up and town anymore and the clerk downstairs phoned upstairs and we went up again. In the ward we had to wait for somebody from another ward to come and assist us. The sister or nurse who help us with the questions was very rude and did not even complete all the questions for example my mother was using chronic medication and she did not think it was important to complete that section. We insisted that she complete the form correctly. She was upset and very rude about our demand to complete the form correctly. We went back to the waiting area and at 5.15pm we went in to the ward to inquire what time my mother will be getting a bed. The response we received was shocking. We are sorry there are no beds, but she can sleep in the wheelchairs until we have a bed available. In the ward was another lady that was sleeping in wheelchairs for the past two nights. We asked the sister why they did not tell us earlier that there was no bed and that we must come back, she rep**** that it is not her problem. We demanded to see the Doctor in charged and he told us that there is no bed and that my mother must come back the following Monday the 7th of October 2019. During the weekend I phoned every day to find out if there was a bed available and they just tell me you must come on the date that the doctor wrote on the form. My mom was getting really sick at that stage. On the 7th of October 2019 we went back to the Hospital at 6am again and once again waited until about 10am before anybody was even talking to us. She as admitted on the 7th of October 2019 but had to do all the tests from scratch for they have lost her file. The asked her if they can use the students because they are writing exams. We feel that he file was not lost but that they wanted to use her for a “genipic” and for the students to write exam and she was not treated as a sick patient. Her needs were not important. She had a very bad cough while she was in hospital and she was not treated for it. The doctors told her she is coughing because she is lying in bed the whole time and that it will improve, but no tests or treatment was given to her. She also had a lump in her neck and on her arm, we asked them and they just did not say or do anything. She was told that the cancer has not spread and that all the tests are clear. She was in hospital till 12 October 2019. They discharged her without any medication or treatment. They told us to contact them the following week 22nd of October 2019 to discuss chemo treatment. We did not receive any copies of results. She was not referred to anybody for counselling or nothing. On the morning of the 19th of October my mother woke up with very swollen feet, so bad that she couldn’t even walk. On the 22st of October we received a call from the hospital to inform us that my mother must come on the 23nd for another biopsy on the lump in her neck. When we wanted to know why they want to do another biopsy if she was in hospital for almost a full week, she was very rude and told me she must just come or not. The next morning we left again at 5am to go to the hospital. On arrival we were asked why did we come today we should have just come tomorrow it is only a day procedure. My mother was in a wheelchair because of her very swollen feet. They decided to admit her. No medication was given whatsoever. The next morning when she had to go for the biopsy they made her walk even though she told then that it is very difficult for her. They did the biopsy and she told us that they hurt her. We asked about the feet that were so swollen, they told us that it is because she does not walk. They discharged her and told us to phone them on the 18th of January 2020 to discuss chemo. My mother woke up on Thursday 24th of October with heavy pain. We kept her calm and gave her pain ****ers. The feet were still badly swollen and she was very weak. This lasted the whole weekend until Sunday night 27th of October when she started to scream from pain. Her stomach was very hard and her feet even more swollen. Monday morning 28 October 2019 we took her to a private doctor to have a look at her because her pain was unbearable. When the doctor examined her she was shocked to hear that Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital was telling us that the cancer did not spread and that is can start chemo on the 18th of January 2020. My mother’s heart was not fine and she was very very sick. The doctor told us the she suspect that she was used us a “genipic” for the students and that she is behound stage 4 cancer. She even told us that by the looks of it she does not think that my mother has very long to live and will definitely not make her appointment for the chemo on the 18th of January 2020. My mother passed away on the 30th of October 2019 Please find attach all documentation and scan. This is malpractice, cruelty and false information and we will not leave this case. All we wanted was the truth. We want justice for how my mother was treated the past 6 weeks. My father only receives SASSA of R1700.00 p/m but I will help him take this matter as high as I can.