Probe into doctor's death while on duty in hospital

"I expect you to be on duty."

This is part of a message purportedly sent to the late medical intern Dr Alulutho Mazwi by his line manager just a week before he collapsed and died on duty, according to Public Servants Association (PSA).

The message was in response to a text Mazwi had allegedly sent informing the line manager that he was not feeling well.

"Good morning Doc. I am not feeling well today. Apologies for the inconvenience caused to the team," Mazwi wrote.

These allegations of Mazwi being denied time off to focus on his health are central to a KwaZulu-Natal department of health investigation after his death on duty at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi on Monday.

Health spokesperson Nathi Oliphant said: "Senior managers from the head office visited the hospital and decided to conduct an independent investigation into the matter following serious allegations regarding employer-employee relations."

Mazwi's death has sparked outrage with political parties, unions and the medical fraternity calling for an investigation into allegations of ill-treatment of staff at the facility.

His family has revealed that Mazwi had diabetes and was diagnosed over a year ago. His uncle Vumani Mazwi said in the days leading up to his death, his health had deteriorated. He claimed that despite ill health, his nephew was pressured to continue working and had reported for duty.

"The weekend before he passed on, he was home in Mthatha [Eastern Cape]. We could see he wasn’t well. He couldn’t even drive himself. His mother drove him back to work [in KZN]. He left his car in Mthatha and still persisted on going to work despite his condition," said the uncle.

He said Mazwi had allegedly been threatened that if he did not report for duty, he would have to repeat his rotation.

“He was supposed to be admitted to the hospital for medical treatment on Monday, the day he passed away, but he had pushed himself to go to work following the alleged threats that he would have to repeat rotation.

"He complained about this treatment, not once, but multiple times. His complaints were more about the environment but also about a particular person. It was about ill-treatment and unfair labour practices," he said.

"As I’m speaking to you now, we are at the mortuary and we need help. We are still in shock, it’s still too early. We are bleeding. We lost a child just as he was starting his professional career after many hard years. It’s a heavy blow. He was in pain but still went to work. The fact that he couldn’t even drive himself, his mother, a teacher, had to take him to work to support him every day but it was too much. It didn’t help."

Mazwi's colleague who asked to remain anonymous, said Mazwi had collapsed twice before while on duty. "He was very sick and collapsing while on duty. At some point, someone had to cover for him before it became too much and he decided to take sick leave to recover. When there was no improvement, he was allegedly threatened to return to work, even after pleading for more days off," said the colleague.

The colleague said interns endure ongoing abuse, particularly in the paediatric ward.

"It is apparently worse in the paediatric ward. Interns have to rotate each department for three months before officially completing their in-service training. The mistreatment has been allegedly going on for years. The hostility had got to a point that staff discouraged interns who wish to get their in-service training at this hospital," she said.

The doctor who allegedly declined Mazwi's request for sick leave could not be reached on the phone. He did not respond to a text message sent to him.

PSA spokesperson Mlungisi Ndlovu said they had repeatedly warned the department about inhumane working conditions at the hospital.

"This young intern ... died after allegedly being forced by his supervising consultant to work while critically ill. His deteriorating health was visible yet he continued to work and collapsed during his shift.

"This devastating incident is a culmination of what the PSA has consistently warned the department about, related to inhumane working conditions, autocratic leadership and abuse of power at the hospital.

"We demand the immediate precautionary suspension of the implicated consultant and other senior managers," he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article mentioned Vumani Mazwi by a different name. 

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