‘Medical negligence killed my wife in hospital’ – claims husband

A heartbroken and inconsolable Phoenix widower is seeking answers and justice for his wife’s untimely death at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Phoenix after he received a call last Monday with the devastating news.

Magandrie ‘Baby’ Govender, 57, a home executive, complained of chest and stomach pains on the morning of August 6, which prompted her husband, Louie to take the appropriate action.

Louie, 61, a retiree from the corporate world, spoke exclusively to the North Coast Rising Sun to receive the necessary justice for his life partner’s unexpected demise, and to probe how his wife could have deteriorated in a week, after leaving home for medical treatment.

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Govender said, “It was around 4am that Sunday when she woke me up, complaining of severe pain. I phoned my daughter to fetch her to take her for medical treatment at the Gandhi Hospital.”

In the hospital, various tests, including bloods and scans were done on Govender, which came back with an all-clear. It is believed that her vitals also showed no cause for concern.

“Things started taking a turn for the worst when she (Baby) sent us voice notes and pictures of how she was being mistreated by the nursing staff in the ward she was assigned to. On numerous occasions, she wanted water because she was thirsty but no one came to her aid. When we visited her during the week after she sent us messages that no one was assisting her, my family and I saw water bottles lying on the floor instead near my wife. She was also confined to a cot-like bed, had a double oxygen mask on and battled to breathe towards the end of her week there,” he added.

Govender claims that no medical doctor or nurse ever spoke to them about his wife’s medical condition, even when they queried during visiting hours.

“We were not privy to her medical records nor did we get any answers to what the course of action was from the health professional to ensure that my wife was on the road to recovery. All we received, via a first-hand account, through my wife, of how she was ill-treated by the nursing staff, who had a don’t care attitude. My wife, earlier in the week, attempted to hand her phone to the treating doctor, but he refused to talk to me about her condition,” said Govender.

Six days after being in the hospital, Baby’s condition was worsening. “On that Friday, she was feeling ill and was nebulised. On Saturday morning, between 2am to 3am, she phoned me, screaming with pain. What we also found strange was that she had diapers on, although she never required them,” claimed Govender.

Baby’s daughter, Samantha, said that she had video-called her mother that Saturday and tried to get the attention of the nurses to assist her mother.

“They ignored me, pretended as if I wasn’t calling out to them via the phone to assist my mother with her pain management. I had to rush to the hospital even though it was not visiting hours yet because my mum was screaming for help. When I arrived, I was stopped outside the ward by a nurse, who claimed she had helped my mum and does not need our assistance. I went back at 2pm when visiting hours resumed and she seemed normal,” said Samantha.

Louie had a day earlier managed to schedule a meeting with the doctor for Monday morning, the following week.

“I wanted to find out straight from the doctor what my wife was being treated for as no one seemed to know or wanted to speak to us,” said Govender.

Things once again turned for the worse on Sunday during visiting hours, when the family said that their wife and mother were unable to talk, disorientated and could not even drink water.

“There was no communication from Baby after we left that Sunday afternoon. We tried getting a hold of her, but her phone went to voicemail. So we believe that her phone was taken away from her and put on aeroplane mode. The patient opposite her messaged us to let me know that Baby was okay, and sleeping. But she now refuses to divulge any more information to us,” continued Govender.

The drama unfolded when Louie’s sister phoned the hospital on Monday morning, enquiring about her sister-in-law’s health and a security guard is alleged to have answered the phone. Coincidentally, Govender phoned 10 minutes later.

“When I phoned through to find out about my wife’s condition, a nurse answered and said that the doctor was with her and she will phone back after he had finished his rounds. I assumed that the doctor was treating her for her pain and talking to her, only for the nurse to phone a short while later, confirming that the doctor had certified my wife dead. Medical negligence killed my wife in the hospital,” said Govender.

The children were rushed to the hospital once the news had surfaced of their mum’s death.

Samantha said, “We were not allowed to see my mum’s body. It was already covered up and being taken to the mortuary.”

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Louie now demands answers as to what authorities at the hospital may be hiding from him and his family. He said, “We want to know why such a critically ill patient was not transferred to the ICU or referred to a specialised unit at another nearby hospital, such as Pixely Ka Sema. I demand a full medical report of her treatment plan after her admission on August 6 till August 14. Her health had deteriorated and worsened at the hands of the nurses and doctors due to improper decisions.”

A letter of enquiry has been issued to the hospital management team as well as the provincial Department of Health.

The Rising Sun contacted the PRO of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Mr Zwane, who stated that he is going to follow up on the allegations made against the hospital and get back to the newspaper.