Cape mom declines hospital’s apology after son’s drip saga

Shanell Petersen said her son left the Victoria Hospital with more injuries than he was initially admitted for. LEON LESTRADE African News Agency (ANA)

Shanell Petersen said her son left the Victoria Hospital with more injuries than he was initially admitted for. LEON LESTRADE African News Agency (ANA)

Published Aug 11, 2022

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WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

Cape Town - The mother of a 1-year-old is fuming after her baby spent an extra week in hospital to treat a blistered IV drip site she claims was not properly supervised by nurses.

Shanell Petersen, 24, from Pelican Park, said she rushed her son, Christopher, to Victoria Hospital on July 12 after he began vomiting and was breathing abnormally.

The pregnant mother of two said the hospital trip turned into a nightmare when her son had to be transferred to another hospital to attend to a swollen hand from the drip. “He was in a bad condition when we first went to the hospital. They put him on oxygen, and (inserted) a tube in his nose, then they also put a drip on his hand.

“We were there until July 21 and the day before we were discharged I noticed that Christopher’s hand was as hard as a rock, I called the nurse – who I found sleeping – who later called the doctor. The doctor told me that it was fine because it’s just tissue and I must just elevate it.”

Petersen alleged her son’s drip was removed with no further explanation of what might have caused the problem. “But it didn’t get better, Christopher then developed a huge blister on his hand. So they transferred us to Red Cross.” She said they spent a week at Red Cross Hospital to deal with the blistered hand.

“After the blister burst, we were sent home, his hand wasn’t even cleaned or seen to. While at home he developed a second blister – that one also burst. “They sent us home without anything to clean it. All they said was, ‘clean it with lukewarm salt water.’”

Christopher’s hand developed blisters. SUPPLIED

Petersen said while she tried her best to keep the wound clean, she noticed that the wound appeared to be open beneath the scab.

“I am frustrated and angry as any mother would be. This is their negligence that caused this. I want them to take responsibility because I went in for one thing and came back with more problems.

“My son constantly complains about his hand being ‘eina’ (painful), he doesn’t want me to touch it; what if this affects his future? What if we (incur further) medical costs because of something we didn’t cause? I won’t leave it like this.”

Petersen said when she contacted the complaints line at Victoria

Hospital the person who answered the call was rude.

“She was rude and kept asking me why I wanted to sue, she then told me to get the proper information and hung up the phone in my ear.”

body.copy...: Spokesperson for Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, Natalie Watlington, apologised to the Petersens.

“Victoria Hospital apologises for the experience of Ms Petersen and her son, Christopher.

Watlington said: “The hospital conducted a thorough investigation into her concerns and the medical team (is) willing to meet with Ms Petersen to discuss their findings.”

Watlington said Christopher qualified for free medical care as he was still under the age of 6; therefore the family need not worry about medical costs.

Petersen said when they were discharged the wound was not cleaned. SUPPLIED

“The hospital has a complaints process that is aligned with national standards and is available to any patient who wishes to raise concerns.

“If you’re unhappy with the care or treatment you received from a Western Cape Government health facility, send a ‘Please Call Me’ to 079 769 1207 or call 0860 142 142 to lodge your complaint,” added Watlington.

Petersen said an apology was not enough.

The department’s other spokesperson, Byron la Hoe, said Red Cross Hospital was looking into the allegations. “The hospital remains dedicated to quality care and will be in contact with the family to discuss their concerns and if a patient, or parent, is not happy with the care they received, we consider this as an opportunity to collectively address them so that we can improve our service to our clients.”

South African Nursing Council (SANC) registrar and CEO Sizo Mchunu advised Petersen to get in touch with the organisation and include a detailed report of her complaint.

Mchunu said the organisation dealt with a number of varying complaints of alleged negligence with 85 grievances received last year.

“The SANC has processes to proactively investigate all allegations. Where there is evidence of unprofessional conduct, appropriate action is taken,” said Mchunu.

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