Teen with broken back allegedly forced to wait a month for treatment
An 18-year-old boy from Walvis Bay who broke his back in a motorbike accident was allegedly left without proper medical treatment for nearly a month, with the family accusing the local state hospital of having failed to take X-rays or transfer him to Swakopmund.
Deon Hurter was injured in the accident on 13 September and could not move after the fall, his mother said.
“He lay there for a long time before we could get him to the hospital, because there was no ambulance available,” Jacky Swart said. “By the time we got him there, he still couldn’t walk.”
The family claimed the Walvis Bay hospital did not conduct any imaging and could not arrange emergency transport. Hurter was eventually taken to Swakopmund in a hospital bus. From there, he was referred to Windhoek Central Hospital, where further scans and treatment were expected.
However, the official health ministry referral letter, dated 10 October, recorded the incident as a fall from stairs – a description the family disputes.
“We told them clearly he had a motorbike accident, not that he fell from stairs,” Swart said. “That report is not correct.”
The referral letter states that Hurter suffered fractures of the L3 and L4 vertebral bodies with “paravertebral swelling” and that he was to be seen urgently by the Spinal Clinic in Windhoek on 14 October.
But his family claimed that when they arrived, they were told they could wait months for specialist care.
“Even after the CT scan was finally done, they told us to come back the next week for results,” Swart said.
“The doctor told him to lie flat, but we have no money or accommodation in Windhoek to go back and forth like this.”
Painful experience
Swart said her son remains in pain.
“He can walk a bit, but not for long. He can’t sit or stand without pain,” she said. “They said it could take six months before he sees a specialist. Every time I phone, they just say the doctor will call back.”
According to her, the hospital also allegedly informed them that there are no ICU beds available if an operation is needed and that if he requires a back brace, they will have to buy it themselves.
She added that the family often has to buy their own medication.
Swart, who is herself unwell, said she is also struggling to access treatment through the state system. She suffers from a serious hernia that requires surgery but has been unable to proceed because of cost and fear.
“The doctor told me I must first lose 10 kilograms before they can operate. I also need a medical ‘siffie’, which costs nearly N$7 000 for a box of ten from the central pharmacy. I can’t afford it,” she said. "The doctor who was supposed to operate was apparently on leave for a whole month, and I’m still waiting.”
No trust
She said the experience at hospitals has left her with little confidence in the state health system.
“When we were in Windhoek with my son, we sat from six in the morning to six in the evening waiting to be seen. I can hardly walk now. I’ve seen how people bleed and collapse in waiting rooms before they get help. It’s not right,” she said.
Swart said the delays were unacceptable.
“The hospital doesn’t have what he needs, and I don’t have work. He was supposed to start working, but now he can’t do anything. One wrong move and he could be paralysed,” she noted. “This is a young man’s life. If the hospital had acted faster, this could have been avoided. It’s a failure of the system.”
Repeated attempts to get a comment from the health ministry, the Erongo health director, or the specialist doctor involved in the case were unsuccessful by the time of this article being published.
Deon Hurter was injured in the accident on 13 September and could not move after the fall, his mother said.
“He lay there for a long time before we could get him to the hospital, because there was no ambulance available,” Jacky Swart said. “By the time we got him there, he still couldn’t walk.”
The family claimed the Walvis Bay hospital did not conduct any imaging and could not arrange emergency transport. Hurter was eventually taken to Swakopmund in a hospital bus. From there, he was referred to Windhoek Central Hospital, where further scans and treatment were expected.
However, the official health ministry referral letter, dated 10 October, recorded the incident as a fall from stairs – a description the family disputes.
“We told them clearly he had a motorbike accident, not that he fell from stairs,” Swart said. “That report is not correct.”
The referral letter states that Hurter suffered fractures of the L3 and L4 vertebral bodies with “paravertebral swelling” and that he was to be seen urgently by the Spinal Clinic in Windhoek on 14 October.
But his family claimed that when they arrived, they were told they could wait months for specialist care.
“Even after the CT scan was finally done, they told us to come back the next week for results,” Swart said.
“The doctor told him to lie flat, but we have no money or accommodation in Windhoek to go back and forth like this.”
Painful experience
Swart said her son remains in pain.
“He can walk a bit, but not for long. He can’t sit or stand without pain,” she said. “They said it could take six months before he sees a specialist. Every time I phone, they just say the doctor will call back.”
According to her, the hospital also allegedly informed them that there are no ICU beds available if an operation is needed and that if he requires a back brace, they will have to buy it themselves.
She added that the family often has to buy their own medication.
Swart, who is herself unwell, said she is also struggling to access treatment through the state system. She suffers from a serious hernia that requires surgery but has been unable to proceed because of cost and fear.
“The doctor told me I must first lose 10 kilograms before they can operate. I also need a medical ‘siffie’, which costs nearly N$7 000 for a box of ten from the central pharmacy. I can’t afford it,” she said. "The doctor who was supposed to operate was apparently on leave for a whole month, and I’m still waiting.”
No trust
She said the experience at hospitals has left her with little confidence in the state health system.
“When we were in Windhoek with my son, we sat from six in the morning to six in the evening waiting to be seen. I can hardly walk now. I’ve seen how people bleed and collapse in waiting rooms before they get help. It’s not right,” she said.
Swart said the delays were unacceptable.
“The hospital doesn’t have what he needs, and I don’t have work. He was supposed to start working, but now he can’t do anything. One wrong move and he could be paralysed,” she noted. “This is a young man’s life. If the hospital had acted faster, this could have been avoided. It’s a failure of the system.”
Repeated attempts to get a comment from the health ministry, the Erongo health director, or the specialist doctor involved in the case were unsuccessful by the time of this article being published.
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