CHRIS Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital management will investigate why emergency services took a critical patient to the hospital when there was no space to accommodate him.

Godfrey Tenehi and his girlfriend Dimakatso Molefe were brought to the hospital on July 1 suffering from burn wounds after their shack burnt down.

Tenehi's brother Tedisa is accusing the hospital of turning his brother away, leading to his death.

However, the hospital said there was simply no space to accommodate him.

Doctor Sehularo Gaelejwe, the hospital's senior clinical executive, said communication should have been sent to the emergency services to take the patient to another hospital. "Our trauma unit was on diversion, which means that it was full. We had 20 patients that day, and the most we can take is 16.

"The ambulance should therefore not have brought the patient here. He was in such a bad shape that he could not even go to the general hospital's ICU."

The hospital said it still made efforts to admit Tenehi. Head of the emergency and trauma units Doctor Frank Plani said: "It was a very bad prognosis as the patient had 100% burn wounds. When another patient died, the patient [Tenehi] was quickly brought in."

Even then, added Plani, it was clear that Tenehi had no chance of surviving. "In such cases where patients do not stand any chance of surviving, we put nasal tubes into them so that they do not choke when regurgitating. The aim is to make death less painful."

But Tedisa disputes this: "They refused to admit him, saying there was nothing they could do for him without even making an attempt to save his life. Instead of trying to help him, the nurses instead told us to pray."

Baragwanath's CEO Johanna More said: "Our doctors did their best under the situation."