Health dept, hijack victim in spat over hospital treatment claims
The KZN Health Department has hit back at a patient who's been criticising staff at the RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth - with the department saying he refused treatment from nurses of colour.
MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo released a statement after visiting the facility yesterday.
Pinetown resident, Riaan van der Westhuizen, was admitted to the hospital about three weeks ago - after sustaining stab wounds in an attempted hijacking late last year.
He claims to have been mistreated at the health facility - and has published videos of what he described as unhygienic conditions there.
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But Dhlomo says Van der Westhuizen is 'ungrateful'.
"We do acknowledge that we must continue to improve the cleanliness of our facilities - including RK Khan Hospital. But the patient in question - to me - is an extremely ungrateful man. He is also making a statement that he does not want to be treated by Black nurses - he is probably in the wrong hospital, and the wrong country," he said.
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Van der Westhuizen has refuted the MEC's claims - saying he never refused help from any nurse.
"I have no problem with Black nurses or any nurses treating me, as long as they've got everything ready - as soon as they open my wound they can clean it and can close it again so I don't sit with an exposed wound. They ignored me, and then they wrote in my file that I refused treatment - which is all a bunch of lies," he said.