Durban — Thembeka Sikhosana from uMlazi who was abandoned by paramedics two weeks ago died in Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital on Thursday and her family is pleading for help with burial expenses.
Thembeka’s sister, Mbalenhle Sikhosana, said the family is in pain and they do not know how and when they will bury her sister.
“All we wish for as the family is assistance to be able to bury my sister in peace. At the moment she is at the government mortuary, we don’t know when we are going to bury her, because her insurance lapsed because of the outstanding payments. We don’t have the money to cover the burial expenses,’’ she said.
Mbalenhle also added that no one has come to the family since her sister died. “It has been quiet. No one has called or visited us including our counsellor and the health department. We are just alone as a family,” she said.
This comes after the “Daily News” reported the incident of Thembeka who was sick with a heart condition and was abandoned by an ambulance two weeks ago.
Paramedics allegedly refused to carry her to the ambulance because of a staircase and demanded that her relatives carry her. It further alleged that as the relatives were carrying her, the paramedics drove off, saying that the family members “…are too slow and they are wasting our (paramedics’) time”.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health later issued a statement on the matter, saying the two paramedics implicated in the matter had been placed under immediate precautionary suspension, so as to allow an investigation to proceed without hindrance.
Spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said two departmental officials tried to engage with the Sikhosana family on the following day for redress purposes, but were unfortunately met with a high level of arrogance and lack of cooperation.
He said that this was followed by a sudden change of the initial statement by the patient’s sister, who stormed the hospital accompanied by a group of members from a known political party, which exacerbated the lack of cooperation from the family’s side.
“Attempts to further engage with the family proved futile due to the lack of cooperation from one member of the family. It is unfortunate that the family member is alleging that she was not contacted by the department, whereas there is ample evidence to the contrary.
“The department is in possession of an exchange of communication between one of its officials and the family member, where she blatantly refuses to engage with anyone from the department.”
Maphisa said in some media houses, the family member mentions that MEC requested her contact details on social media and never heard from the department ever since.
“This statement is not true because after the MEC engaged her on social media for her contacts, the Department contacted her, and as a result, the Patient was moved by the department from the clinic to our higher institution of care or hospital.
“It is critical to note that the department has followed correct processes in this matter, which entailed the immediate transfer of the patient to a higher level of care; and to suspend the two paramedics implicated in this matter in order to allow for the investigation to continue unhindered,” he said.
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