Don’t delay emergency treatment!

Posted on 26 February 2021

Remember, Mediclinic hospitals and Emergency Centres are equipped to deal with both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19-related complications.

When Ben Rossiter, a 14-year-old Cape Town schoolboy began complaining of stomach pains, his concerned parents were unsure what to do. “Like most parents, we didn’t react immediately to his complaints as we thought it could be an upset tummy or nerves,” his mother Kathryn explains. “We also thought it might be his abs as he’d played water polo the day before.”

As the day progressed, Ben started vomiting, which made Kathryn think he had a stomach bug. “I was nervous to take him to the GP because of COVID – although in hindsight I wish I had,” she admits. Ben’s symptoms worsened the following day. “Eventually, after gently prodding his abdomen, my husband, Brad, realised it was quite likely an appendix issue – something that had been in the back of our minds all along.”

The Rossiters admit they were anxious about taking their son into the Emergency Centre at Mediclinic Constantiaberg because of the second surge of COVID-19. Thankfully, their fears were unfounded.

“If you – or a loved one – have pain it’s absolutely vital that you consult a doctor rather than avoid a consultation because of the current crisis,” says Aliné Hall, Clinical Quality Specialist: Mother and Child for Mediclinic Southern Africa. “People who are chronically or acutely ill run the risk that their condition can worsen due to a lack of medical care, or that complications can arise if a procedure is delayed. Mediclinic is committed to assisting all patients, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 or not.”

Our hospitals and clinics have implemented special measures to prevent transmission of COVID-19, including:

• strict access control
• universal masking
• screening for COVID-19 symptoms on entry into the hospital (and daily for admitted patients)
• dedicated areas of the Emergency Centre and hospital for COVID-19 and non-COVID cases.

Kathryn explains that when her husband and son arrived at the Emergency Centre, they were shown into a private, sealed-off area. “Ben was given a morphine drip for the pain and tested for COVID-19. Once the emergency doctor on call had assessed him, he was admitted into the isolation ward and taken for an ultrasound to assess the state of his appendix. Once his COVID test came back negative, he was moved from the isolation ward to a general ward.”

All Mediclinic staff have been trained in infection prevention and control and precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infections. They’re also equipped with the required personal protective equipment (PPE) and we’ve implemented additional cleaning rounds. All areas are further cleaned thoroughly in between patients.

The following day, Ben underwent a successful laparoscopic appendectomy. “Unfortunately, because this all occurred during the second surge of the pandemic, we weren’t able to be with Ben as we would have liked,’ Kathryn says. “At 14 years old, he is considered an adult, and was admitted from the Emergency Centre into an adult ward.”

After a two-day stay, Ben was discharged with a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers. “I’m glad he had such good care in the hospital but I was also glad to have him home!” Kathryn says. “The processes in place were excellent, which made the whole system run smoothly. The care he received was outstanding and the staff were efficient, friendly and very kind, particularly as he had no parent to support or accompany him.”

With the ordeal safely behind them, the grateful Rossiters say their lasting impression of Mediclinic Constantiaberg is of “an excellent facility delivering world-class private healthcare when our family needed it most”.

 

* Restricted visiting is now allowed at Mediclinic hospitals.