Radio broadcaster Tom London is pleading with the Gauteng Department of Health not to return him to Helen Joseph Hospital after his video exposing mistreatment, negligence and poor infrastructure went viral, while he is battling to afford R600,000 operation at a private hospital.
London, whose real name is Thomas Holmes, made headlines after exposing the non-functional medical equipment, poor infrastructure and negligence at the hospital on social media through a video that went viral.
In the video, while in the hospital ward, he bemoaned bad treatment from the doctors, whom he claimed treat patients like cockroaches.
In an interview with IOL News, London said he developed a chest infection about five weeks ago and was using over-the-counter-medication.
His condition deteriorated and he was taken to the Helen Joseph hospital, but only to encounter the worst treatment ever from the doctors.
“I was admitted on August 25, due to having difficulty breathing. I had to come to this hospital because I don't have any medical aid, but to my surprise when I arrived here, I experienced the worst service ever from the doctors.”
London said when he was admitted to the hospital he anticipated recovering well from his infection, but instead endured bad treatment from the hospital staff.
He said upon arrival, he was diagnosed with empyema, which caused by a bacterial infection of the lungs.
“The doctors then drained a lot of fluid from my lungs and later gave me antibiotics to treat the infection. However, the treatment of doctors towards patients in this hospital is horrible,” London said.
“While I was here in the wards, doctors would come do rounds in the wards, fill in patients' files without asking them whether they are getting better or not. They just come here and treat you as if you’re not a human being, in fact patients are treated like cockroaches there.”
He said a patient in the same ward died in his bed owing to liver failure and was left unattended for more than four hours.
“There were flies coming from the outside and entering into the window of the ward as a dead man’s body was lying on the bed unattended. The man died on September 7, at 6am in the morning and his body was left unattended for more than four hours.”
London said after spending 13 days at the hospital, he then decided to leave as within hours of the post going viral, hundreds of his fans contributed to a fund for his treatment at the Mediclinic Hospital in Morningside, a private hospital.
There, he said he was treated better compared to the public hospital.
“When I arrived there, I was treated well compared to that circus hospital, where patients are treated badly by doctors who are supposed to show kindness and compassion to patients.”
However, London said the doctors told him that there are three possible courses of treatment for his condition, one being using antibiotics and recuperating at home.
“The second one was that they can drain the fluid from my lungs, while the third outcome is to drain the fluid from my lungs but they have to do an operation. Which is something that I cannot afford because I don't have medical aid.”
He said he was told that the cost of the operation would be more than R600,000, and because he does not have the money, and he is forced to return to a public hospital.
“I have no choice but to return to the public hospital for the operation because I don't have enough money to pay for it. The doctors said they would tell me tomorrow whether they would discharge me or not.”
London said, yesterday, the Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC of Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko visited him following the video.
“They came to visit me and we agreed that I would return to a public hospital to receive medical attention. But, I am hoping not to be sent back to Helen Joseph Hospital owing to the bad treatment that I have endured there,” London told IOL News.
He complained that at public hospitals it would take a long time to receive treatment due to many patients who are also awaiting to be operated on.
“I told them that I would prefer being admitted at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital and now that MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko has vowed to fast track the process, I don’t want to go back to that circus hospital,” he said.
IOL News