Probe after maggots found in wound

The mother of a Port Elizabeth man whose severe leg wound became infested with maggots when Livingstone Hospital nurses refused to change his surgical dressings said yesterday she was horrified at the treatment he had received - and living in the UK had made it even harder to bear.

After begging nurses for days to change his surgical dressings - since December 23 - Clint Morris, 40, a handyman at The Willows, woke up on Tuesday to find his massive leg wound covered in maggots.

He was seriously injured in a scooter accident a month ago and has undergone multiple surgeries on both legs.

His mother, Judy Poole, said: "I really struggled being here in England. My husband passed away and I came to live with my daughter.

"Clint has no family in Port Elizabeth. When he had the accident his phone was smashed. A friend called me and told me. I couldn't talk to my son for a week.

"I got hold of my sister's child Ricky Prinsloo in Durban and he couriered a cellphone to Clint. I borrowed money and sent Ricky money to visit Clint."

But Poole said the support of her friends in Port Elizabeth had been fantastic.

"The community has really come together for Clint. Some folks took him goodies, simple things like razors, shaving gel, cold drinks and data. Without them Clint and I could not have coped. It is the only way for us to keep in touch.

"Simple things that I, as his mom, should be doing, the people of Port Elizabeth have stepped in. I am humbled and very grateful to them," she said.

Speaking on behalf of the hospital, Eastern Cape health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said Morris was taken to theatre yesterday so doctors could clean his wound properly under anaesthetic, assess any damage to the skin and muscle grafts and decide how to take his treatment further.

An investigation has been launched.

"Once investigations are concluded, appropriate action will be taken against those who may have neglected their duties," he said.