A Gauteng mother says her life changed forever after a botched birth surgery left her disabled and abandoned.
A Gauteng mother’s life has been hell since an alleged botched operation 10 years ago during the birth of her firstborn at Sebokeng Provincial Hospital.
“I became obese because I was unable to walk,” says Jacobeth Digojane Mzizi from Bophelong, near Vanderbijlpark.
“I lost my job at the local supermarket and my husband also left me, claiming the wound smells bad,” she says.
Botched birth surgery left her disabled and abandoned
Her problems started in 2008, when the then 32 year old went to Sebokeng hospital to give birth. At the time, Mzizi was suffering from high blood pressure and doctors recommended a surgical procedure to deliver the baby.
During the operation, a doctor allegedly cut her mesentery, or layer in the abdominal wall that keep the intestines intact.
“One of the health practitioners has unofficially confirmed that they have cut things that were not supposed to be touched,” Mzizi claims.
ALSO READ: Smile Foundation’s 25 years of changing lives
“The doctor said they inserted a net to hold up my intestines.
“After that operation, my life changed and became a nightmare.
“When I bend down or kneel, I can feel the intestines moving, and start vomiting. “I stayed in the hospital for three months.
Lasting injuries
“When I checked my file, I noticed they did not include that they cut some layers.”
When she was discharged, the intestines were visible through the unhealed wound, Mzizi claims.
She claims she has a video as evidence.
ALSO READ: Baby girl’s life saved by surgery
“After reporting my problem to hospital management, they denied that the procedure was performed incorrectly and one of the doctors said he was going to assist me with further assessment, but that never happened,” Mzizi says.
“In 2023, a private doctor advised me to apply for a disability grant, which I did. It wasn’t easy, as I had to obtain a recommendation letter from Sebokeng hospital. Initially, they were reluctant to give me the letter, but ended up agreeing.”
The Citizen has seen a disability grant recommendation form completed by a Sebokeng hospital doctor in which it was confirmed Mzizi’s problem was caused by the surgery performed at the hospital.
Surgical error caused permanent damage
“Complications from the previous surgery refused her mobility, which resulted in a massive weight gain,” parts of the document reads.
Gauteng department of health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba had not responded to questions by the time of publication.