Traumatic night at Tambo Memorial
After witnessing hospital staff members dragging an elderly lady by a blanket on the floor during the night, Toetie van Coller left the Tambo Memorial Hospital traumatised the following morning.
Van Coller was admitted to the mentioned hospital for water on the lungs and heart failure, on June 30.
She apparently waited the whole day – from 8am to 7pm – in casualties, before she got a bed in a ward.
Van Coller told the Advertiser that the hospital staff in casualties is very good with the patients, however, the staff in the ward is a different story.
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On the night she spent at the hospital, an elderly woman fell on the floor in an attempt to ring the button for help after allegedly feeling nauseous.
Apparently the button is positioned in such a way that patients have to climb out of bed to push the button.
The incident happened around 2am (July 1).
According to van Coller, the woman was lying on the floor for about 15 minutes before staff members came to her rescue.
“Unfortunately I was not in a position to help her, so I yelled for help three times before someone came to help,” said van Coller.
“They (hospital staff) rolled her onto a blanket and dragged her about five meters on the floor to another bed.”
Van Coller is not aware whether the lady sustained any injuries during her fall.
“Later that morning she just lay flat on the bed and was coughing continuously,” she added.
Van Coller also shared that the night shift personnel in the hospital ward are unhelpful in general.
Apart from the lady who fell during the night, she reportedly witnessed two other incidents where patients were seeking help, but received none, or had to deal with an arrogant attitude from the personnel.
Apparently they were also making a noise throughout the night and lights were only switched off after midnight.
She also raised the question why the men and women showers are right next to each other.
“To top it off, you don’t have any privacy while taking a shower because there are no shower doors or curtains.
“Why don’t they set fixed shower times for men and women, respectively?”
The Boksburg Advertiser has sent this complaint to the Gauteng Department of Health, but is still awaiting a response.
