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Snake-bite child dies at CMH
By MODISE KABELI
Civil Service Reporter
GRANDPARENTS of a toddler who died at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital earlier this
week claim that the child was not given the urgent attention she needed.
Jeannette Lukwana’s granddaughter, Masilakhe Ntutu, was rushed to the
hospital after she was bitten by a snake while playing outside her Mdantsane
NU9 home on Monday afternoon.
When Lukwana first heard the child and her neighbour screaming about a snake
she “thought it had just scared them” and she threw stones at it trying to
kill it. When she realised that Ntutu had been bitten, Lukwana and a
neighbour rushed to CMH for help.
Lukwana said on their arrival at the hospital she was told to open a folder
for the child. When she went back to casualty the child was still
unattended, and then staff asked her to bring the snake that had bitten the
child.
“I told them we left the snake at home and I asked them to show me pictures
of snakes so that I can show them what the snake looked like but there were
no pictures.”
They were then told to wait for a doctor, she said. By this time the bite
mark had grown into a very big lump.
“A sister who walked into the casualty was the only one who assisted.”
This nurse asked that the child be given panado through a syringe. “By this
time she (Masilakhe) was talking and crying, she was then put on a drip.”
The nurse then took her back home to fetch the snake but on their return and
identification of the snake they were told its venom’s antidote was not
available at the hospital.
East London Hospital Complex spokesperson Toni van Niekerk said yesterday:
“I am unfortunately at this stage not in a position to give you a conclusive
answer until more information is available.”
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