By Jonk wa Mashamba
news@alexreporter.co.za
After our investigative team insisted on why the Onthatile case (5) went missing at Edenvale Hospital shortly after it was born, here is what we received from the institution:
“The Department can confirm that the file is safe with the facility. All the records are safely stored.
“We are aware of any missing files. The patient’s mother will be contacted by the facility.”
The mother of the child who was reportedly disabled because of the negligence of the hospital, Karabo Raborethe (25) said she had received a message from the hospital.
“I am so glad they have found the file after five years. They called to schedule an appointment for Thursday at 10:00. They said I should ask for Mr. Peter.”
Now Karabo wants to know why the file was kept under wraps for five years.
“I also want to find out what happened to my child; what made her handicapped?”
THIS IS OUR FIRST STORY WITH DETAILS
An unemployed mother with two children (5 and 2 years) needs answers about what happened to her daughter’s case and what led to her disability.
Karabo Raborethe (25), resides on 19-16th avenues in Alex.
Karabo Raborethe, a distressed mother needs answers
She says her five-year-old daughter, Onthatile, was born premature and was admitted for 14 days in the hospital.
That happened five years ago in Edenvale Hospital.
Karabo was 19 when she gave birth to an infant prematurely.
The baby was reportedly paralyzed by cerebral palsy shortly afterwards; she cannot walk and has been wheelchair- bound ever since.
“I have to know what happened to my baby because she’s paralyzed,” Karabo said.
The other challenge is that there is no record of the baby being born there.
She says nurses like Ngobeni and Gwavu helped her, but in the small document she was given, there was no hospital stamp attached.
The file was reportedly missing when it was discovered that the baby was disabled because of the alleged negligence of the nurses.
The youth who dropped out of school in grade 9 has been sent from pillar to post without help.
Her last born was also born in the same hospital.
“When I go to the hospital administration, my name never appears on the system,” said a woman whose man is also unemployed.
She says she sits with her handicapped baby all day.
“It’s hard for me to stay in the house, I need to move.”
Kwara Kekana, spokesperson for Gauteng MEC for Health said, “We are waiting for the facility to respond.”
The family also needs lawyers who can help them sue the hospital for the alleged negligence that resulted in the child’s disability.