A Limpopo boy who aspired to become a doctor now faces a dismal future.
The nine-year-old boy’s dream was shattered when nurses at the Maake Clinic outside Tzaneen gave him HIV treatment instead of the medication prescribed by the paediatrician.
The boy is now unable to walk and has blood clots in his brain as a result of taking the wrong medication.
His mother, whose identity cannot be revealed to protect the identity of the child, said the problem started when the boy’s medication was changed from liquid to tablets.
The mother said as her son’s condition deteriorated, he was forced to drop out of school.
She too had to quit her job as a community development worker in order to look after her ailing son.
“After he was given the wrong treatment, he started shivering, his neck became feeble, his forehead was exuding water, he had a fever, and he was always weak,” said the frustrated mother.
“When I was holding him, he was fragile like a newborn baby, as he was not eating.”
Brain damage cannot be reversed
The distraught mother said she decided to take the child to Dr CN Phatudi Hospital for a second opinion.
“After checking his medication, the doctors at Dr CN Phatudi transferred him to Polokwane Provincial Hospital, where the scans found dirty black water on the left side of his head.
“The doctors told me that the medication that was given to my son was actually meant for children twice his age.”
The mother added that she stopped taking her medication when she was pregnant, a mistake she said she will regret for the rest of her life.
Dr Beauty Mukanzi-Mnisi, a paediatrician in Polokwane, said even though the brain damage cannot be reversed, the child’s ability to walk can be addressed with the aid of a physiotherapist.
Neil Shikwambana, the spokesperson for the provincial department of health, said investigations are underway to determine the cause of the problem.
“We cannot, at this point, deny or confirm that because we have to look into the matter intensively. We are expecting a detailed report soon,” Shikwambana said.
