A woman from Ocean View has lost her leg after a pit bull bit her.
Angelique Jantjies says her sister Fredalene Martiens, 46, had her leg amputated at Victoria Hospital after eight surgeries, all due to “a simple dog bite”.
The family has accused the hospital of negligence after the wound became infected and turned septic.
“Last year in July a pit bull puppy bit her but it was a small scratch.
“She went for an injection and her wound was dressed,” says Angelique.
“A week later, the wound got bigger and turned black and they surgically removed [the infected part] at Victoria Hospital.
“With all her appointments I went with and the doctors told her that it is not serious and that they will see to it that she won’t lose her leg. But they kept cutting.”
She says after the surgeries, her sister was sent to Groote Schuur Hospital.
“They told her there was no circulation as people at Victoria Hospital already messed her leg up.
“The only options were that she would either die from pain or have an amputation.”
Fredalene returned to Victoria Hospital where the amputation was performed.
Angelique says after the operation, her sister was sent to Booth Memorial Hospital “because she is not recovering and couldn’t accept what happened to her. She is still there.”
Natalie Watlington, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Wellness, says: “We can confirm Ms Martins was a patient at Victoria Hospital, both as an outpatient and inpatient between September 11, 2022 and February 3, 2023.
“During her admission, she was closely monitored by her treatment team and received the appropriate care for her wound.
“During her stay at Victoria Hospital, her wound was not neglected and we did everything to give her the best possible care, including taking her to the theatre to clean the wound and regularly changing the dressing.
“Unfortunately, despite receiving treatment for more than six months, the wound was not healing.
“Ms Martins was referred to the vascular doctors at Groote Schuur Hospital.
“After this consultation the amputation was recommended in order to prevent further life-threatening infection,” she says.
But Angelique says doctors at Victoria Hospital ruined her sister’s life: “She was a working mother, now she can’t work for anyone. It affected her whole life.”
Fredalene adds: “Ek soek justice. How many people are going through the same thing because of them [and their negligence]?”