Hours after KZN EMS medics allegedly refused to take him to hospital, 22-year-old Salvador Isaacs died in a pool of blood in his parents’ home last Saturday morning.
Isaacs had been in and out of hospital for the last few weeks with a bleeding stomach ulcer and was initially discharged from Grey’s Hospital on Monday.
After the ulcer began bleeding again, his family called a KZN EMS ambulance to take him to hospital, however, his sister, Delene, said the ambulance never arrived and after her brother collapsed, she called a private taxi and rushed him to hospital.
“The hospital took three hours to stabilise him and when he was discharged from Grey’s last Thursday afternoon, they sent him home with a letter to say if the ulcer started bleeding again, he must be taken to hospital immediately.”
KZN Health Department spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi said they would be investigate the matter. “The department has noted with concern the allegations concerning paramedics from Emergency Medical Services.
“It takes these allegations seriously, and as such, an investigation will be conducted in order to get to the bottom of this matter,” said Mkhwanazi.
Huddled in their Eastwood home, the Isaacs family recounted the trauma of having to watch the youngest family member die because ambulance staff “insisted he was fine”.
Isaacs’s mother, Elizabeth Goldstone, who was at home with Isaacs on Friday night when the ambulance arrived, said the two paramedics could see “his bed sheets soaked with blood” but would not take him to hospital.
“I told them he had been vomiting blood and they told me he was fine, and to call them in the morning if we were still worried.
“They told me it was a busy weekend and they had accidents and stabbings to go to and Northdale [Hospital] would be too full to take my son and would not treat him.
“They left at around 10pm. We called again at 5am on Saturday morning, but by the time they arrived, after 5.30am, he had already died.”
Isaacs’s older brother and best friend, Denvil, said his little brother was a happy person who was always joking and always showed respect towards his elders.
“He had so many plans. He helped me a lot with building work and was so pro-active with looking out for another job.”
The Witness
Source: News24
South Africa Today – South Africa News – Pietermaritzburg
