Cape Town — An investigation has been launched to find out how a four-year-old girl died at the Botshabelo District Hospital after having a tooth extraction.
The Free State Health Department is devastated by the tragic incident and has called for people to remain calm as investigations continue to determine what happened to the young girl, department spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi, told Newzroom Afrika.
“On Tuesday 9 July, a four-year-old child died, unfortunately, and unexpectedly, out of a tooth extraction. This child was one of five kids who had tooth extractions on that day, under anesthesia,” Mvambi said.
“Right now, we have since debriefed our staff and debriefed the family, just to make sure they come to terms with what has happened whilst we all are awaiting the forensic report of the occurrence,” he added.
He said the report will take up to four weeks before they can determine the causes and the department has provided psychological support to the families.
A four-year-old girl has died in the Botshabelo District Hospital, in the Free State, after a tooth extraction. Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi has called for calm as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident continue. Health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi explains.… pic.twitter.com/nJaZt0Vjuj
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 17, 2024
According to The Citizen, this is the first such incident at the hospital in nearly four years. Mvambi stated that children’s tooth extractions have benefited more than 1,000 patients. He also mentioned that the service has not been temporarily shut down.
“We are subjecting this matter to a thorough adverse events investigation as it is a very unusual occurrence. Our highly trained professional staff were in charge of this procedure and have done many procedures successfully on the same day and in previous times resulting in happy children and satisfied parents,” said Free State MEC of Health Monyatso Viceroy Mahlatsi.
Mvambi said they have been in contact with the family and explained to them that they will try to get to the bottom of what went wrong.
“The Botshabelo District Hospital is one of the highest-performing health facilities in the Free State. This single incident has devastated the clinical community but must never be allowed to negatively dent the image of the hospital that will still need to continue meeting the needs of many people that are dependent on it,” he said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
