The court heard that Luthuli was admitted to Stanger Hospital, less than an hour from King Edward Hospital VIII in Durban which had highly experienced neurologists.
“Non-availability of clinical records such as nursing and doctor’s notes leave uncertainty regarding the quality of care Luthuli received at Stanger provincial hospital. It remains unclear why Luthuli was not taken to King Edward hospital particularly when a neurosurgeon was required.
“Neurosurgical management and rehabilitation via Dr Yube would not have been optimised because Stanger hospital was not suited for a neurosurgical patient but King Edward was,” said Ntsele.
He said the fact that Dr Yube was called suggests that a decision for specialist care was reached by those involved in Luthuli’s clinical management.
“It therefore remains a concerned that a district surgeon performed the autopsy instead of a forensic pathologist,” said Ntsele.
He said the injuries on Luthuli were “defensive wounds”, not train injuries.
The inquest continues on Thursday.
TimesLIVE
Postmortem conducted on Luthuli was of poor quality: KZN chief pathologist
'I do not know why they rushed to conduct his postmortem'
Image: Mlungisi Mhlophe-Gumede.
KwaZulu-Natal chief pathologist Dr Sibusiso Ntsele has described as “poor quality” the postmortem report conducted in 1967 on ANC president-general Chief Albert Luthuli.
Testifying at the reopened inquest in the Pietermaritzburg high court on Wednesday, Ntsele told the court that the report was not properly packed, adding that it was compiled by people who were not competent to do it.
He said the report lacked so many basis which raised concerns over it credibility.
“The postmortem was done 90 minutes after Luthuli had died, which was not proper as his body was still warm at that time. I do not know why they rushed to conduct his postmortem,” he said.
Ntsele said Luthuli was a large person so the postmortem was not supposed to be done in a hurry. He questioned why Luthuli was not transferred to a specialised hospital as his injuries required quality medical attention.
Ntsele’s testimony correlates with that of Luthuli’s grandson Mthunzi.
WATCH | Inquest into the death of Chief Albert Luthuli
The court heard that Luthuli was admitted to Stanger Hospital, less than an hour from King Edward Hospital VIII in Durban which had highly experienced neurologists.
“Non-availability of clinical records such as nursing and doctor’s notes leave uncertainty regarding the quality of care Luthuli received at Stanger provincial hospital. It remains unclear why Luthuli was not taken to King Edward hospital particularly when a neurosurgeon was required.
“Neurosurgical management and rehabilitation via Dr Yube would not have been optimised because Stanger hospital was not suited for a neurosurgical patient but King Edward was,” said Ntsele.
He said the fact that Dr Yube was called suggests that a decision for specialist care was reached by those involved in Luthuli’s clinical management.
“It therefore remains a concerned that a district surgeon performed the autopsy instead of a forensic pathologist,” said Ntsele.
He said the injuries on Luthuli were “defensive wounds”, not train injuries.
The inquest continues on Thursday.
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
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1967 evidence into death of Chief Luthuli was a fabrication: locomotive expert
If hit by a train, Luthuli would have been killed instantly: expert
Chief Albert Luthuli may have been victim of assault, reopened inquest hears
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