Unless it is a fatal illness or injury, no one expects their family member to go to a hospital and lose their life, but rather to receive healing treatment.
In a shocking incident last week, loving mother, Isha Govender (44), accompanied her daughter Lisa Naidoo (23) to the Kalafong Hospital in Atterigeville.
Speaking to the Laudium Sun, a distraught Lisa, said that their family was still reeling from shock, after her mother's sudden death last Thursday, February 22. Isha had not originally intended on going to the hospital for a checkup that Thursday, but had agreed to accompany her daughter, Lisa, who was going in to have a few tests done.
Lisa recalled: "My mum was completely fine when we got to the hospital that morning. She accompanied me because I needed to run some tests. She was suffering with a bit of leg pain and had been a patient of Kalafong before, so I asked the admin staff if my mum could see the doctor to just have a look at it. Little did I know that such a spontaneous decision would eventually cost my mother her life."
After waiting in the queue at the hospital, Lisa said that both she and her mum, went into two separate consulting rooms to see two separate doctors. When Isha returned from the doctor's room after taking an injection, she met her daughter, Lisa, who said that it seemed as if her mother was having an allergic reaction.
"Her eyes turned red and her mouth started to contort. We rushed back toward the doctor to explain that my mum had a reaction to the injection. But we were stopped by the nurses in-charge and rudely told to follow the queue to see the doctor again. It was around that time that I was called again into the room to be seen by my doctor.
My mum was still in the queue," said the traumatized daughter.
Lisa sadly added, "Minutes later, I was called by a nurse to go quickly to my mother. When I got there, doctors were surrounding my mum with machines because she had apparently collapsed while waiting in the queue. I was then told that my mum had a heart attack and that they tried to resuscitate her, but unfortunately she had passed on. Those words will continue to haunt me as I could not believe that all off this happened in a few minutes, and while I was not there."
According to Lisa, her mum experienced a similar reaction to Voltaren tablets two years ago and had to be taken to a GP to have it drained.
It was then established that her mum was allergic to Voltaren. “I think they gave my mother Voltaren and that is why she collapsed and lost her life,” Lisa said, sadly.
A post-mortem was conducted on Isha and the family are awaiting the results to find closure.
Her funeral service was held at her Grey Street home in Erasmia this past Saturday, February 24. She is survived by her two daughters.
When the Laudium Sun contacted Kalafong Hospital for a comment on the incident and allegations, officials claimed that Isha's medical file was 'lost'.
Spokesman for the Gauteng Department of Health, Sam Matuka told the Laudium Sun, "Without prejudice, the Gauteng Department of Health would like to pass its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. The loss of life is a painful experience. The department is awaiting the outcome of the post-mortem, which will assist in determining the cause of death."
Mourning the sudden loss of her mother: Lisa Naidoo.
The late Isha Govender (44) passed away at Kalafong hospital apparently due to being given a wrong injection.