MEC for Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba during the recent visit to Maake Clinic.
A little boy whose dream was to become a medical doctor is now facing a bleak future.
The seven-year-old aspirant doctor’s dream was shattered when nurses at a Maake clinic outside Tzaneen gave him a HIV treatment.
The boy was born with the virus after his mother stopped taking her antiretroviral drugs and prevention from mother-to-child pills.
The wrong medication had dire consequences for the boy who is now having blood clots in his brains and unable to walk.
The boy’s mother, whose identity cannot be revealed to protect the identity of the minor child, said the problem started when his medication migrated from liquid to tablets.
The mother said as her son’s condition deteriorated, he was forced to drop out of crèche at the beginning of 2018.
She too had quit her job as a community development worker so that she could look after the ailing son.
She said “After he was given the wrong treatment, he started shivering, his neck became feeble, his forehead exuding water, having fever and always weak. When I was holding him, he was fragile like a newborn baby as he was not eating.”
The distraught mother said she decided to take the child to Dr. CN Phatudi hospital for a second opinion.
She said “After checking his medication, the doctors at Dr. CN Phatudi transferred him to Pietersburg hospital when their scans found dirty black water on the left side of his head. Doctors told me that the medication that was given to my son was actually meant for children twice his age.”
The mother said she stopped taking her medication when she was pregnant, a mistake she said she will regret for the rest of her life.
Dr. Beauty Mukanzi-Mnisi, a pediatrician in Polokwane, said even though the brain damage cannot be reversed, the child’s ability to walk can be addressed through the aid of a physiotherapist.
Neil Shikwambana, the spokesperson for the department of health said investigations are underway to determine the cause of the problem.
He said “We cannot at this point deny or confirm that because we have to look into the matter intensively. We are expecting a clear report soon.