A complaint lodged following the death of a patient at Victoria Hospital in Wynberg is drawing renewed attention to patient care standards, Cape {town}Etc reports.
Rifqa Simpson’s complaint details the last few hours of her mother, Phatgeah Simpson, on 13 January, and claims that the hospital‘s emergency department and Ward C failed in providing proper medical care, supervision, and making appropriate clinical decisions.
The family has requested a formal investigation and accountability measures, while health authorities say internal processes are already underway.
In correspondence sent to the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, Simpson described arriving at the hospital at approximately 8pm to find her sister cleaning their mother after staff allegedly failed to assist.
She wrote that her mother appeared visibly unwell, showing signs like pale skin, cold and sweaty hands, intense pain, a dry mouth, and ‘general malaise.’
Simpson stated that when she approached doctors seated nearby to request urgent assistance, she was told they ‘could not assist as they did not know her.’
A third doctor, she added, reviewed the patient’s file remotely rather than examining her bedside, explaining that the patient had already been triaged earlier.
However, concerns escalated as symptoms worsened. Simpson reported raising alarms about abdominal pain, bloody stools and dehydration, requesting intravenous fluids instead of oral medication.
According to her complaint, the request was declined, with staff indicating they were following existing medical instructions.
She further alleged that despite abnormal vital signs being recorded, including a blood pressure of 105/60 and heart rate of 109, no escalation of care occurred.
‘My mother was transferred to Ward C despite her unstable condition,’ Simpson wrote, adding that she objected to the move but was overruled.
In Ward C, she said Dr Lourens later introduced herself as the attending doctor. When Simpson questioned why urgent surgical review had not occurred, she claims the response was: ‘The surgeon will attend tomorrow morning.’
Simpson maintains that her mother’s condition deteriorated rapidly thereafter and alleges no bedside examination or urgent intervention followed.
‘My mother passed away in the same position I had left her, approximately 45 minutes after my departure,’ she wrote.
The submission lists multiple grounds for complaint, including alleged negligence, breach of duty of care, diagnostic failures and patient abandonment.
Simpson argues that staff failed to respond appropriately to worsening symptoms, abnormal vitals and repeated requests for escalation.
She also claims diagnostic shortcomings, stating the cause of death, bowel obstruction, was recorded despite no confirmed investigations being completed.
‘The treatment my mother received fell far below any acceptable standard,’ Simpson said, noting her own background as a healthcare professional.
The family has requested that the Health Professions Council of South Africa conduct a full investigation and review systemic challenges at the hospital, including staffing pressures and accountability procedures.
Responding directly to Simpson, Victoria Hospital CEO Jonathan Vaughan expressed condolences and confirmed the matter was already being examined.
‘I’m sorry to hear about the passing of your mother, I can imagine that this is a very difficult period for you. I’m also sorry that you had a poor experience at Victoria,’ Vaughan stated.
He added that an investigation had commenced and that a written response would follow once all relevant information had been gathered.
In a broader statement, Victoria Hospital acknowledged the incident and extended sympathy to the family, describing emergency centres as high-pressure environments.
The hospital said it ‘acknowledges the incident raised and extends our sympathy to the family on the passing of their mother and for the negative experience encountered at Victoria Hospital.’
Officials emphasised that healthcare teams operate under demanding conditions but stressed that negative staff attitudes are not acceptable.
‘Our healthcare teams are doing the best they can under challenging conditions, and the department does not condone negative staff attitudes in a setting where our vulnerable patients need care and compassion the most,’ the hospital stated.
The hospital confirmed the complaint had been processed through internal procedures, with hospital management reviewing events alongside staff on duty and communicating findings with the family.
Health authorities added that clinical teams conducted assessments, monitoring and treatment while the patient awaited transfer to the ward.
As part of broader improvements, Victoria Hospital added that it is implementing a project aimed at improving patient flow between the emergency centre and inpatient wards to reduce waiting times linked to bed shortages.
The case comes after a similar incident previously drew attention to patient experiences at the same facility, where another family publicly raised concerns about emergency department care following a patient’s death days after seeking treatment.
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