Mother doesn’t want son’s hand amputated

A DISTRAUGHT 26-year-old single mother is demanding answers from the doctors who operated on her son’s left hand that should now be amputated.

Anastassia Hausiku from the Rupara village in Kavango West said her six-year-old son Markus Joseph’s hand was perfectly fine when she took him to the Nankudu District Hospital for treatment at the end of June.

She explained that Markus was not eating, and his body temperature was high at the time. Some nurses at the hospital also put Markus on a drip for a day, and then discharged him later.

“However, as he was being discharged, I noticed that the hand was swollen a bit, but the nurses assured me the swelling would be gone soon,” Hausiku said.

When they reached home, the swelling worsened, and she decided to take her son back to the hospital to find out what was happening.

“My son’s hand started itching as the swelling worsened. When I took him back to the district hospital, we were immediately referred to the Rundu State Hospital for an emergency operation,” she explained.

Once at the hospital, the doctors told her that the operation was just a procedure to see if there was anything amiss.

“I then allowed them to operate on the hand on 7 July,” she said, adding that she hoped to go back home after the operation since it was just a procedure.

Although the doctors told her that they had found nothing on his hand, Hausiku said they later told her that they needed to amputate it.

“I was and still am very confused as to what went wrong. I need answers. If they found nothing, then the hand should be fine. My son is only five years old, and has his whole future ahead of him. He cannot lose his hand. I will not allow his hand to be amputated,” the mother stressed. Hausiku added that she is an unemployed mother of two, who is already struggling to take care of the children.

“So, how will I be able to take care of a child with special needs?” she asked.

“Although I am not employed, I would like to take legal action against the nurses and doctors who did this to my son. I need justice for my son,” she said.

Hausiku spoke to by phone from the Rundu State Hospital, where Markus is receiving therapy. She said during the therapy sessions, Markus even asked the nurses when he would get his plastic hand because he wants to go back to kindergarten.

The Kavango West’s Popular Democratic Movement’s regional coordinator, Vilho Kangumbe, said he was not going to keep quiet about the matter.

“A lot of people are dying during minor operations. Now, a little boy’s hand will be amputated. This is a real pity because the boy was taken to hospital to get well, not to lose his hand. We don’t want doctors who are unqualified. The people deserve better health services, not to be killed every time,” he charged.

Health ministry spokesperson Tutu Haukena said he had directed questions from to the Kavango West and East health regional director for comment.

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