The Democratic Alliance (DA)’s Chris Hattingh told OFM News the woman was transported to the Potchefstroom Hospital by ambulance from an old age home in Klerksdorp after staff struggled to wake her up and found that her blood pressure was excessively high.

Hattingh says that the elderly woman was transported to the Potchefstroom due to the availability of beds at a Klerksdorp hospital. 

He adds the party has written to the MEC of Health, Madoda Sambatha, and that this has further fuelled intentions by the victim to approach the South African Human Rights Commission over the matter. 

The department is yet to comment.

He says the incident left the woman embarrassingly exposed to other patients and the public.

"Shortly before midnight, the hospital contacted her granddaughter living in Johannesburg, stating that the [woman] is discharged and that someone needs to collect her.”  

“Four hours after the patient’s arrival at the Potchefstroom casualty section, the doctor on duty diagnosed her with an infection,” he adds. “Upon the granddaughter’s enquiries regarding the late hour of discharge, she was informed that there is a shortage of beds and that discharging patients at this hour was common practice at this hospital,” he further adds.

“Her frail hand was bruised – seemingly from a drip not properly inserted and she had no food or drink since her arrival about 18 hours earlier.”

"Although a packet of clean nappies and clean pyjamas was found next to the bed, it appears to have been too much for the hospital to even do the most basic to protect an elderly lady's dignity,” Hattingh continues to say. 

OFM News