Doctors had ample time to transfer Chief Luthuli to Durban: witness

The reopened inquest into the death of ANC president-general chief Albert Luthuli on Thursday heard evidence of gross negligence on the part of doctors who attended to Luthuli at Stanger hospital in 1967.

Testifying in the Pietermaritzburg high court, KwaZulu-Natal chief pathologist Dr Sibusiso Ntsele told the inquest that if the doctors had moved swiftly to transfer him to King Edward VII hospital in Durban, his life could possibly have been saved.

Ntsele said doctors at Stanger Hospital did not do enough to save Luthuli’s life. He said the hospital had ample time to transfer him to King Edward but did not.

“Luthuli was at Stanger Hospital for almost three hours before he died, so if the hospital management had moved swiftly to transfer him to a competent or well-resourced hospital like King Edward, maybe his life could have been saved,” he said.

Prosecutor Annah Chuene said it seemed as if there was deliberate negligence on the part of doctors from Stanger Hospital not to do their best to save Luthuli's life. Ntsele said she could not say it was deliberate but he would rather say it was gross negligence.

Chuene said it was futile for Stanger Hospital management to call a neurologist from Durban to attend to Luthuli.

“The neurologist was not going to help because Stanger Hospital does not have relevant equipment used by neurologists, what would help was to transfer Luthuli to a competent hospital on time,” said Chuene.

She said there was evidence before the inquest by one of Luthuli’s relatives that they received information that their father had been transferred to King Edward on the fateful day of July 21 1967.

“One of Luthuli’s daughters went to King Edward Hospital after they got the information that he was admitted there but only to be told he was at Stanger. That suggest there was a plan to transfer him but someone at Stanger Hospital for some strange reason interfered,” she said.

Ntsele said it might be true that someone at Stanger Hospital refused to allow Luthuli to be transferred so that he would not receive help and would die.

There was evidence before the court that Luthuli had a gash towards the back of his head and that the wound was not bandaged.

Chuene said it was also strange for Dr Mary Gregersen from Stanger Hospital, who was also a superintendent, to attend to Luthuli while there were attending doctors including a district surgeon, Dr G Misra.

The inquest was adjourned to Monday.

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