{"id":41268,"date":"2016-01-20T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-20T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/echonews.sites.caxton.co.za\/41268\/province-investigates-allegations\/"},"modified":"2016-01-21T12:58:47","modified_gmt":"2016-01-21T10:58:47","slug":"province-investigates-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/middelburg-observer\/news-headlines\/2016\/01\/20\/province-investigates-allegations\/","title":{"rendered":"Province investigates allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mpumalanga Department of Health has launched an investigation into Ms Debbie Breytenbach’s complaint regarding her stay in the hospital she describes as dirty and dilapidated.<\/p>\n

Ms Breytenbach says she was placed on the diabetic food list without any salt, despite her sugar levels and blood pressure dropping to dangerous lows because of the mistake.<\/p>\n

Even after complaining, she was told that she was not staying in a hotel and that she should starve if she didn’t want to eat the food provided her.<\/p>\n

She was admitted to hospital on January 3 with three prolapsed vertebrae, and an MRI scan needed to be done “to get a better picture of the injury”.<\/p>\n

Due to budget cuts, the hospital was unable to do the scan, and Ms Breytenbach was told to seek help at a private radiologist, at a cost of R15 000.”I told the doctor that I simply do not have that kind of cash, and was told that the hospital would not be able to do anything for me,” Ms Breytenbach told the Observer.<\/p>\n

Ms Breytenbach says Tramadol and Omnopon was prescribed for pain every eight hours, but that hospital staff failed to administer the medicines as prescribed.<\/p>\n

She only received two Ponado’s every eight hours for unbearable pain, she often complained about.<\/p>\n

“The only good thing the ‘so called doctor’ did was to send a physiotherapist, who told me that I needed a back brace immediately, which she later obtained for me herself, since I didn’t have R800 to splurge on the medical necessity,” Ms Breytenbach says.<\/p>\n

The physio was however replaced.<\/p>\n

“I complained regularly that I was Type 2 diabetic and therefore didn’t need any special dietary requirements, but was told to eat the food provided or starve,” Ms Breytenbach complains.<\/p>\n

After complaining about the diet again, the “diabetic slop,” was taken away from her and later consumed by a kitchen help, who allegedly wanted to slap Ms Breytenbach’s phone from her hand when the latter tried to video her consuming her meal.<\/p>\n

Ms Breytenbach was only served again the next morning.<\/p>\n

“They treated me for diabetes and blood pressure, which I explained was well controlled by myself, but failed to treat me for the reason I was admitted, this hospital is going from bad to worse at a rapid pace,” Ms Breytenbach says.<\/p>\n

Ms Breytenbach then decided that she had had enough of the maltreatment and started packing her bags, refusing to sign herself out, in order to bring her complaint to management’s attention.<\/p>\n

A friend of hers was however coerced into signing Ms Breytenbach out by hospital security.<\/p>\n

After her release, after five days, she submitted her complaint to the department in writing.<\/p>\n

The Provincial Quality Assurance Directorate has confirmed receipt of the complaint and an investigation into the matter has been launched.<\/p>\n

Ms Breytenbach said on Monday that she is yet to receive the report from the Quality Assurance Directorate.<\/p>\n