A Limpopo mother has won her court battle against the provincial Health Department after doctors at Lebowakgomo Hospital operated on the wrong knee of her eight-year-old son, IOL reports.
The High Court in Polokwane found the department liable for damages after surgeons performed a complex procedure on the boy’s right knee instead of the left, which was meant to be treated. The amount of damages payable will be decided at a later hearing.
The mother, whose identity is withheld to protect her son, told the court she was overjoyed when she saw him after surgery – until she realised doctors had operated on the wrong leg.
A medical expert testified that the surgeon should have known ligament injuries are rare in children and that the diagnosis was likely incorrect. Despite finding the right knee’s ligaments intact, the doctor went ahead with the operation, leaving the child with a serious deformity and limited mobility.
The court heard that poor aftercare worsened the boy’s condition, while his original left-knee problem remained untreated.
