KNYSNA NEWS - The Western Cape Department of Health has instituted an investigation into the conduct of two members of the provincial ambulance service accused of verbally abusing the woman who was stabbed repeatedly in her home in Rawson Street, Knysna, and of telling her to get out of their ambulance by herself and enter Knysna Provincial Hospital.
The 42-year-old woman's mother, in the presence of the victim, told how her daughter collapsed in the street on Saturday 26 April, after escaping from the man who attacked her.
The attack had taken place at about 00:23.
'That was a bad one'
The mother said the intruder had stabbed her daughter with a serrated knife above the breastbone.
"That was a bad one [wound], a deep one. Then he stabbed her under her arm, and in her back, but it [the knife] did not puncture her lung; and then he stabbed her in the arm," the mother said.
"Now when you arrive [at a hospital, in the condition her daughter was in] you are taken to casualty.
"They [the male ambulance driver and a female assistant] told her to get out of the ambulance by herself and walk into the hospital through the main entrance."
Victim 'mocked'
The mother said the ambulance driver and his assistant mocked her daughter for being in socks, without shoes. Her daughter had taken her shoes off before she was attacked.
The victim, who does not have medical aid, then recounted her experience at the hospital herself, saying she was not taken to the casualty section.
"I was given a slip and told to sit down with the rest of the people in a queue. They [hospital staff] were in no rush to see me [give her treatment]," she said.
After a long wait she was given a tetanus injection and told to wait to get stitches. She said it felt as if she had been singled out for bad treatment.
"I don't wish it on anyone who's gone through such trauma to go through trauma at a hospital again," she said.
Left hospital
Worried about the severity of her chest wound, and concerned about the way she was being dealt with, she decided to leave the hospital.
She was later taken to Life Knysna Private Hospital where she was X-rayed and it was determined, she said, that "the stab wound in my chest, which was quite deep, didn't go into my chest cavity. Thankfully, I was in the clear".
Her wounds were stapled closed, and she was given strong painkillers and anti-anxiety medication.
The victim and her mother requested anonymity.
Department apologises
Nadia Ferreira, a communications officer for the department, said: "We have initiated an investigation into the conduct of the EMS staff mentioned, and we will keep the patient informed of the outcome."
On behalf of the department, she apologised to the patient "for the trauma she experienced and for her distressing wait at Knysna Hospital's Emergency Centre".
Surge in trauma cases
Ferreira said the patient was assessed on arrival and triaged according to her clinical need. "Waiting times were longer than normal because of a surge in trauma cases over that payday weekend.
"These cases include serious injuries from interpersonal violence and traffic accidents. We recognise that any delay for someone in pain is concerning and uncomfortable and we are working to improve patient flow during peak periods.
"All patients, whether arriving by ambulance or private transport, are triaged in the same way."
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