Limpopo Health department clarifies ARVs medication reports

The Limpopo Department of Health has issued a clarification on reports that an elderly woman [84] was issued ARV’s when she went to collect her chronic medication at Kwarrilagte Clinic in Sekhukhune.

According to the Sunday World, the grandmother went to a public clinic to get her arthritis medication. But instead, the nurses allegedly gave her antiretroviral drugs. This allegedly happened when Nkurwanyane Ramphisa went to the Clinic in Ntoane village for her regular chronic check-up.

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Ramphisa is completely blind and stays with her daughter. She also could not realise that her mother was given the wrong medication. However, it was after the elderly woman’s health deteriorated that the family decided to research the medication online.

But in a statement on Monday, the department says the Woman did not consume even a single capsule of ARV’s.

LIMPOPO HEALTH DEPARTMENT DENIES AN ELDERLY WOMAN WAS WRONGLY GIVEN ARVS AT A LOCAL CLINIC

“After discovering the empty bottle of ARV’s at her mother’s home. The complainant, who is the old woman’s son, didn’t contact the clinic or health authorities about the matter. But instead chose to go to the journalist,” the department said.

“The daughter indeed showed the authorities all the sachets of the old lady’s chronic medication that she recently collected at the clinic in question.

“Among the sachets, there was a container of ARV’s. However, the old woman’s daughter confirmed that the container was empty when they brought it home. They went to collect her mother’s chronic medication and as a result, the old lady did not consume even a single capsule of ARV’s,” they said.  

“The investigation conducted by health authorities found that the nurse who dispensed the old lady’s medication could have negligently left the empty bottle of ARV’s on her table and the old lady’s daughter/caregiver mistakenly collected the container together with her mother’s medication from the nurse’s table.

“The department has since apologised to the family. Including the old lady’s son who was the first to complain through the media. Additionally, the responsible nurse has been given a final written warning. For negligence in safekeeping pharmaceutical items in the form of the empty ARV container a patient’s caregiver mistakenly collected on her table.”