Botched op nightmare for patient

The Limpopo government will have to pay over R1.7-million to a housewife who might lose a leg after treatment received at two provincial hospitals.

The Pretoria High Court yesterday confirmed a settlement between 49-year-old Mokopane housewife Cornelia Wentzel and provincial authorities as an order of court.

Wentzel had to undergo a series of operations which left her in chronic pain and with one leg shorter than the other.

This was after medical staff at the Lephalale and Polokwane hospitals failed to treat her properly for a severely dislocated ankle seven years ago.

She went to the Lephalale hospital for treatment but was transferred to the Polokwane hospital because her injury required specialist attention by an orthopaedic surgeon.

According to court papers, the Polokwane hospital doctor who operated on her told her he did not need X-rays was he knew what he was doing, and gave her an epidural anaesthetic before operating on her.

She claims she was still conscious when the power supply to the theatre was suddenly cut off and she was carried on a sheet to another theatre because no trolleys were available. She claims that after the operation, the doctor left for the weekend without giving hospital staff instructions for her further treatment.

The staff members allegedly refused to help her even when blood started dripping onto the floor from her bandaged foot and told her she should return to the Lephalale hospital.

It was later discovered by a doctor that gangrene had set in.

She was immediately transferred to the Kalafong hospital where she underwent numerous operations to save her foot, but was left with a shortened left leg, massive scars and chronic pain.

Wentzel used to enjoy jogging, dancing and fishing with her husband, but now battles even just to clean her home.

According to Dr D Mare, who later examined her, the treatment Wentzel received as "scandalous".

He also said the surgeon who operated on her appears to have been incompetent.

Mare said she should have been treated within an hour after arriving at Polokwane to save her foot, but was inexplicably made to wait until the next morning.

He said Wentzel needed further surgery but the pain in her foot was presently so bad that she might be better off if her leg was amputated below the knee.