Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu. File Picture.
The quality of life for the seven boys who suffered complications from alleged botched circumcisions has diminished and the doctor should be held accountable, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) said on Wednesday.
“Heads must roll on, as the [health member of the executive council] MEC has kept this matter under wraps, the IFP's Ncamisile Nkwanyana said.
She said while no one is forced to undergo medical circumcision, the doctor alleged to be involved in the botched circumcision must be held accountable.
“There must be mechanisms in place to protect the patients and ensure that doctors have the necessary skills to perform their duties,” she added.
Nkwanyana said not only will this severely impact the boys’ quality of life, but it could also contribute to the ever-increasing tally of medico-legal claims in healthcare facilities across the province.
The boys were patients at the KwaMashu Community Health Centre.
According to the SABC, the parents are seeking legal recourse.
One of the boys reportedly had his urinary tract severed almost halfway down his penis.
He said he gets laughed at when other boys see him in the toilet. The 10-year-old told the broadcaster that the other learners make fun of him because he doesn't pass urine like they do.
The boy's parents alleged that when they have yet to hear from the department of health on the matter. They further alleged that they have not received feedback from the doctor who performed the procedures.
Nkwanyana called on health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, to break her silence on this matter and present progress reports on her plans to mitigate the actions of medical professionals that lead to medico-legal claims.
Departmental spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said this matter is known to the department and numerous interventions have been made since the matter was presented to the department.
“The department is unable to share any clinical details pertaining to this case with a third party, in keeping with the law,” Maphisa said.
“We can nevertheless confirm that numerous interventions both for the clinical management of the child and for oversight on the work done by the contracted non-government organisation.”
Maphisa added that the department receives reports on any post surgery complaints by patients and attends to them through its clinical specialists, hence the patient in question is in the care of clinicians at one of the province’s hospitals.
IOL
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