A couple from Somerset West allege that Mediclinic Vergelegen misdiagnosed an injury and proceeded to cover it up, and they now accuse the facility of harassing them for money.
But Mediclinic responded, saying the injury was treated appropriately and the couple had agreed to a payment plan, yet the two parties remain at loggerheads.
The couple, who asked not to be named, stated that in January earlier this year the wife was in a motorcycle accident, which resulted in a very swollen wrist. Her husband took her to the Emergency Room at Mediclinic Vergelegen and claimed that although it was pretty quiet there the doctor “seemed to rush through examining my wife.
“She sent us for X-rays of the wrist and knee, and after looking at them stated she could see only a fracture of the elbow, and we were sent home after my wife’s knee was bandaged and she was given a sling and prescription for painkillers,” the husband related. “The next day my wife was still in an incredible amount of pain due to her wrist. The same doctor saw her again and insisted there was no fracture in the wrist, but put a back slab on, extending from the elbow to the hand. This small concession instantly provided a lot of comfort and seemed to drastically reduce my wife’s pain.”
Days later the wife returned for her follow-up. “My wife once again saw the same doctor who ordered a second round of X-rays, who claimed once again that there was no fracture, removed the back slab, which was actually helping, and replaced it with a simple wrist brace instead. This seemed to aggravate her pain for in no way did it immobilise the hand, constantly applying pressure to the swelling that ensued as a result.”
Eventually the couple decided they needed a second opinion and made an appointment with a GP who, examining the x-rays, quickly identified there was a fracture in both the elbow and radius. The doctor put the wife’s forearm in a plaster cast, which seemed almost instantly to help and was able to reduce her painkillers the same day.
“Needless to say I was furious with Mediclinic,” the husband fumed, “and because of this we have incurred massive medical fees. We had to pay for the initial consultation, the extra one the next day, the follow-up and then finally the trip to the GP to fix the mistakes. In addition, my wife is a web developer and was unable to work while all this was going on due to the pain in her wrist. I submitted a complaint to Mediclinic and set up an in-person meeting with several senior staff members. While doing so all the bills started coming in, one of which was a final notice, despite being less than a month old at this point and the first invoice to be received.”
Following back-and-forth allegations of whether it was a misdiagnosis, the husband said he eventually informed Mediclinic that due to their reduced financial situation owing to the wife’s missing so much work they could only afford to pay R50 a month. “I received no further communication and therefore assumed the matter was settled. However, the phone calls from the billing department continued and we are trying to resolve the matter.”
Dr Gerrit de Villiers, Chief Clinical Officer of Mediclinic Southern Africa, said Mediclinic regards all complaints in a serious light and for this reason the hospital clinical management has engaged with the patient’s family regarding their concerns on this matter. “The individual in question chose not to engage or meet further with the team,” he said. “He did, however, commit to a payment plan for services rendered. A specific injury was identified at the first visit, which was treated appropriately. The time for healing of such an injury is six to eight weeks. This was communicated. We have again reviewed both sets of X-rays and are unable to see the alleged injury. We remain committed to ensuring complaints are investigated and resolved as best as possible.”
