Patient sues Bokamoso for negligence
Mpho Mokwape | Friday January 11, 2019 14:08
Oratile Lediretse is accusing the hospital for putting her health and life in danger following an operation where a doctor allegedly left a swab inside her body.
Lediretse, who is suing Bokamoso as the first defendant and doctor Daniel Abebe as the second defendant in the matter, is demanding damages in the sum of P1,350,000.
According to her court documents filed on October 18, 2018 and in a letter addressed to the director of health and services Lediretse explains that on December 22, 2017 she was admitted at Bokamoso hospital where an operation for evacuation and curnetag was conducted to repair a perforated uterus.
“Pursuant to the above said surgical procedure, I began to experience excruciating pain in my abdominal area, as well as nausea, fatigue, headache and dizziness,” she said.
She said she went and reported the matter to Dr Abebe who called her a ‘cry baby’ when she told him that she had no choice, but to look for help somewhere.
Lediretse explained that she decided to seek help at Extension 2 Clinic on February 15, 2018 where a scan was conducted and a swab measuring about 12cm was discovered inside her body at the area of the operation.
“I telephoned Dr Abebe and I informed him that they had left a swab in my body and at first he denied this, but after I told him that I had the scan results as proof then he stopped arguing. Also, I told him I needed the swab to be removed,” she said.
However, Lediretse explained that she was shocked when she demanded the swab to be removed as the doctor said she would have to equally share the medical fees for the removal of the swab left them inside her.
She was totally shocked in the sense that she did not put the swab in her body. The hospital staff including Dr Abebe did it to her.
“How was I now supposed to foot the bill for correcting a harm which Bokamoso Hospital’s medical doctor and senior nurses had done? I let Dr Abebe know that I was the least pleased with his attempt to make me pay for removal of the foreign body, which the hospital staff and him had left in my body,” she said.
Further, according to her court documents following back-to-back cellphone exchanges, the doctor agreed to readmit her for the removal of the swab but a lot was waiting for her than she anticipated.
She pointed that on August 15, 2018 she was shocked to receive a call from Minchin and Kelly Attorneys instructed by Bokamoso to demand payment of the sum of P29,000 for medical expenses for the removal of the very swab they left in her.
She said it was following the intervention of her attorneys, Collin Duncan that they stopped with the letter of demand of ‘removal of the swab bill’. Lediretse, who is complaining about the professional manner and ethics of the hospital staff and the doctor says to date she has not received any written apology from the hospital for instructing its lawyers to demand and threaten to sue her.
Her main complaint is how the hospital is handling the issue and is constantly harassing her and whether it was ethical and professional to be asked to foot the bill for the hospital’s mistake. Dr Abebe and the hospital on the other hand have entered an appearance to defend.
The doctor is denying that he was negligent in performing the procedure as alleged.
He said on the contrary he performed the procedure with reasonable care and skill required. “In that regard, the damages suffered, if any have nothing to do with me and therefore not liable to the plaintiff and I pray for the dismissal of the plaintiff’s claim with costs,” he said. The hospital denied any claim of the plaintiff on account that Dr Abebe was not their employee.
The hospital explained that Dr Abebe was contracted by the plaintiff to perform the surgery and treatment as a specialist obstetrician and gyneacologist. Bokamoso further denied that its nurses were negligent.