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STILL IN SHOCK: One of the surviving patients, Lelenye Molatole.

GRIEVING FAMILY: 90-year-old Jacob Botshoma's wife, Sinah, their elder daughter, Maria, and last born, Bonyana. Photos: Boitumelo Tshehle

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THE family of a North West man who was allegedly killed by a patient in a Zeerust hospital wants to sue the provincial department of health for negligence.

Jacob Botshoma, 90, and two other male patients were attacked by a fellow patient early on Wednesday morning, while sleeping in the same ward. Botshoma was admitted to hospital last week Tuesday, with diarrhoea and vomiting.

According to a surviving patient, Botshoma and the other patients were woken by a loud noise in the ward.

The patient said a man had hit them using a cupboard drawer and a stick. Botshoma died on the scene, while the other two patients suffered serious injuries

Botshoma's elder daughter Maria Botshoma, 62, said the family wanted the department of health to explain why the security guards and nurses on duty had failed to hear there was a fight in the ward.

The family also wanted to know why a mentally ill person was kept in the same ward with ordinary patients.

The daughter claimed the assailant assaulted a preacher who had visited the ward on Monday.

The assailant apparently asked for the preacher to pray for him, after he had prayed for Botshoma.

"After the pastor prayed for my father, he went to his bed to pray for him as requested. Within seconds, the patient grabbed him by his shirt and started assaulting him," she said.

"It was a huge fight, everyone was running around, even the nurses. They could have noticed then that this man was not fit enough to stay with normal people.

"When we sent him there we were expecting him to recover - not to be brutally killed. We know that he was old but we did not expect him to die in that manner," said a cousin of the deceased, Boitumelo Modise.

"We will not rest until the hospital and the state explains to us why they failed to intervene and save his life."

A fellow patient who was also attacked, Lelenye Molatole, 75, said he could not believe he was still alive. He sustained three gashes to his head and a broken finger.

"I thought I was dreaming when I opened my eyes he was just next to me. He hit me hard with a stick, I fell down, I managed to wake up and tried to stop him but he overpowered me, he even broke my thumb," he said. "I just want to be discharged, my home is better than this place, we are not safe," Molatole said.

The third patient, Suping Kgwadibana, 68, was transferred to Mahikeng provincial hospital for treatment. He also suffered severe head injuries.

The hospital chief executive officer, Nosang Mosiane said the matter was being investigated internally.

"We have security guards patrolling in all the wards.

"We want to find out what happened, and why they were not near the ward when this happened," he said. Provincial health department spokesman, Tebogo Lekgethwane said the assailant was admitted at Zeerust hospital for a medical ailment.

He was complaining about abdominal pains and according to doctors at the hospital, "showed no signs of confusion or aggression," Lekgethwane said.

He said following the Wednesday attack, a doctor had diagnosed the patient as being psychotic.

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Sat May 25 20:29:00 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 27, 2012

golly459

Lekgethwane
"He said following the Wednesday attack, a doctor had diagnosed the patient as being psychotic"
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after someone has died,siesssss

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Jul 27, 2012

Gusheshe

Now where are those who were saying sh!t about the same incident that happenend in Knobel hospiatal in Limpopo? these things do happen evrywhere.
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Jul 27, 2012

malema8514

If i may ask what is the purpose of having nurses and securities who are unable to do their routine checks on patients. this start to raise some negligence and culpable homicides that are taking place in hospitals. i say not yet uhuru if we cant save and protect the ill ones.
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Jul 27, 2012

1andonlybucs

this is what happents when you mix vhapengo and people who are right upstairs, ul find that the attacker thought that they were just playing street fighter or mortal combat.. these people must have a hospital of their own.. and yes it dont happen in limpopo only..everywhere!!!!!!
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Jul 30, 2012

Nokozile

Our government must do something about this,
1.why are they mixing sico patient with others ,now we have lost our father because of our government neglegent...as for knobel ke mathata fela ka sepetlele sela...
is been more than years now without hot water,the boiler has broken long time,they are washing at mankweng and polokwane hospital washing machine has broken many tears ago....,who knows maybe there were no medication for the poor guy to keep him well.....
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Jul 31, 2012

Bhali

I have never been admitted to a public hospital in my adult life, but I have been to some public hospitals last year doing research (mostly in Limpopo). My GOD, I feel sorry for people who cannot afford private health care. The conditions are horrible and inhumane in most hospitals. Patients are treated secondary to everything. In fact, nurses and doctors working in those hospitals do not go there (to their place of work) for treatment. May the old man's soul rest in peace.

Motswaledi you are doing a great job chief, but do something with public hospitals. Don't you think it will be nice if at least 80% of all hospitals in SA could be like Steve Bicko Academic hospital. Not by size or budget, but the conditions at least.
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