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Austin Ndlovu after operation

Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
THE family of a man whose arm had to be cut off after a nurse jabbed him with a wrong injection, has engaged lawyers to get compensation from Mpilo Central Hospital.

Austin Ndlovu, 63, a cancer patient from Bhazhe Village in Matobo had his left arm amputated last month after it began rotting following administration of the injection.

The hospital has written a letter formally apologising to the family but declining to pay compensation.

Family member, Thankswell Moyo said the hospital had indicated that they won’t be able to compensate the family for the loss of the arm.

“We were told that they can only be able to compensate us through the courts. We have already engaged lawyers for Human Rights to fight the case in court,” said Moyo.

He said the family was yet to decide on the amount it wants as compensation.

Ndlovu is still admitted at Mpilo Central Hospital where he is receiving treatment for oesophageal cancer.

In a letter dated November 23, signed by the hospital’s acting clinical director, Dr Solwayo Ngwenya, the health institution admitted to the error and said investigations were still underway.

“The Mpilo Hospital Executive and Management would like to express sincere apology on the loss of Mr Austin Ndlovu’s left arm during the course of treatment,” read the letter.

“We acknowledge receipt of your written concerns and we thank you for highlighting the problem to us. However, the hospital is still gathering more medical facts of what could have happened during his hospitalisation,” wrote Dr Ngwenya.

He said the hospital was extending a compassionate gesture to the family by cancelling Ndlovu’s medical bill.

Ndlovu was amputated barely two weeks after he was injected following fears that the gangrene on his arm would spread to the rest of his body

He told The Chronicle at the time that the decomposing arm had started emitting a foul stench.

Ndlovu told Chronicle that trouble started after a nurse injected him in the back of his arm.

He said he immediately began feeling intense pain and told the nurse that the injection was unusually painful.

Ndlovu said the skin on his my arm began to change, it appeared as it had been scalded with a hot liquid.

“Later it became very dark. My fingers became very dry and numb,” he said.

His family said he was self employed and relied on the use of his hands.