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Life St George's Hospital in Port Elizabeth has launched an internal investigation after the grandson of one of its patients posted photos of his grandfather soaked in urine and blood with "not one nurse to help him".
This was despite the hospital knowing the elderly man needed 24-hour care for which he was signed up for, Jason Gordon wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
His grandfather was blind and suffered from dementia.
"This is not the first time I have visited him after work to find something wrong. The first time they had inserted his drip incorrectly. It took more than 3 days for the swelling to go down," Gordon wrote.
"This is not the kind of care I would expect when you pay so much for medical aid; this kind of thing should not be acceptable in any state or private hospital. You would expect people in the medical profession to be compassionate and want to make sure their patients are comfortable, not leaving them in an embarrassing and unhealthy situation, especially when they are not capable of helping themselves."
Gordon, who had visited the hospital with his grandmother, said staff should "ensure the patients are in a presentable state, especially when they are being visited by their families and loved ones, to preserve their dignity".
Responding to a News24 enquiry into the matter, Riaan Croucamp, Life Healthcare Regional Manager, said the hospital was deeply concerned about the incident and "we have engaged with the patient's family with regard to the issue".
"We are taking the matter very seriously and as such we are conducting an internal investigation and will ensure disciplinary action is taken where appropriate. Quality patient care, which includes ensuring a patient's dignity, is of utmost importance to us," said Croucamp.
Life St George's Hospital is a member of the Life Healthcare Group, which is one of the largest private hospital care groups in South Africa.
