An Eastern Cape woman who reportedly became paralysed after a dental operation at Cecilia Makhiwane Hospital, 21 years ago, is still trying to hold the Department of Health accountable. Thobeka Jantjies says she became bedridden after having a tooth extracted in 2002.
However, the health department denies any wrongdoing, saying that after numerous negotiations, the department agreed to pay Jantjies half a million rand in 2013 on humanitarian grounds.
Jantjies says she has still not received the money.
Jantjies’ life changed after dental surgery. She now lies in bed all day, unable to walk or feed herself, and has to wear diapers. She alleges that no professional assistance has been offered to her. She is currently assisted by her 24-year-old son, and her neighbour also helps out occasionally.
The 48-year-old says she is looking into taking legal action against the department.
“It’s been 21 years now laying like this. I am a mother; I have needs; I have children; they are watching their mother suffer, lying in bed, unable to do anything for herself. This happened at the wrong time; I even have grandchildren now. Some people who were assisting me have also left, even those who were assisting me with this case and advising me on what to do. My wish is to get justice because I am left alone with my kids in this case. I wish for my case to make it to court so that even if I die, I can have peace.”
Her neighbour, Ntomboxolo Dayimani, says things are bad things for Jantjies.
“Mama Priscilla Jantjies is bedridden; she can’t move; she can’t do anything for herself. I wish she could get a stretcher or a wheelchair so that she could go to the kitchen, outside, or to the shops. We also wish that there could be a staff member from the clinic who could come and regularly check on her to check her high blood pressure, diabetes, and everything else.”
Internal investigations conducted
A Department of Health spokesperson, Yonela Dekeda, says internal investigations were conducted by the department, and they found no link between Jantjies’ paralysis and her tooth extraction.
“She’s demanding a R4 million compensation from the department on claims that she got paralysed days after a tooth extraction at Cecilia Makhiwane Hospital in 2002. The department launched an internal clinical investigation after the patient officially submitted a claim alleging medical negligence. Another investigation was further conducted by HPCSA, with both investigations not finding any link between her paralysis and the tooth extraction. The matter was further taken to the Bhisho High Court in 2006, with her lawyers withdrawing from the case after realising the case had no merits.”
The report that was compiled by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) indicates that the medical records supplied to the doctor that compiled the report were incomplete, inconsistent with the medical history supplied by Jantjies’ husband.
At the time, Jantjies was in a vegetative state and was unable to communicate during the compilation of the report.
