Moleps Hospital ‘covered up’ woman’s death?

The contradicting post mortem reports of a deceased Molepolole woman raise suspicions of an attempt to cover up her cause of death by Scottish Livingstone and Princess Marina Hospital doctors a few months ago.

  • Hospital said the deceased died of cancer
  • Death was a result of falling from a height- post-moterm
  • Marina and the deceased’s family allegedly misinformed

    TSAONE SEGAETSHO

    In May 2016, the mother of Seabelo Moffat, a Molepolole cab driver reportedly fell from the balcony of the Scottish Livingstone Hospital in the village where she was admitted for a cancer related disease. She fractured her limbs and suffered a blow to the head as a result of the fall.
    Devastated, Moffat narrates that on the fateful night his mother was sprinted to Princess Marina- the doctors in Molepolole only informed Princess Marina surgeons about the cancer and reportedly concealed her balcony fall.  A day later Moffat received the tragic news on the passing of his mother and the doctor’s signed ‘notice of death report’ from Princess Marina stated chronic thyroid cancer as the cause.
    The report whose signatory doctor is known to this publication also laid out that the condition which led to the cause of death was “right neck of femur fracture”, a report which Moffat found suspicious and engaged a private Forensic Pathologist to find out the cause of his mother’s death.
    The results of the post mortem report carried out by the well known Forensic Pathologist Dr Enock Prabhakar, seen by The Botswana Gazette, indicates that the cause of death “was due to diffuse sub-dural hemorrhage of the brain,” which means severe bleeding of the brain, as a result of her fall from the hospital second floor balcony.
    Information passed to The Botswana Gazette alleges that the family of the deceased Golefemang Gaofose believes that the contradiction in the two reports was an attempt by the hospital to conceal the real cause of death of their mother.
    Family members who spoke to this publication alleged that they were made to believe Gaofose died of a thyroid cancer she was admitted for while waiting for an oncology examination until the forensic pathologist report indicated that Gaofose’s right upper limb was “deformed due to fracture.” Her right lower limb was also shortened and externally rotated and she succumbed to head injuries that caused bleeding of the brain.
    Moffat and other family members have taken the legal route in what they suspect to have been a cover up and concealment of negligence by the hospitals.
    According to the deceased’s family, Gaofose was taken to hospital after her throat developed a swelling which was suspected to be cancer. Before falling from a height, Gaofose was yet to be tested by the hospital’s oncologists.
    “This could mean that Scottish Livingstone tried to conceal that the deceased fell from a height and that is the reason she was referred to Marina where she died in the Orthopedics ward where they treat broken bones and bone cancer,” Moffat stated.
    “We sent our mother to hospital after she complained of a swelling around her throat and voice box. She was to be tested for cancer and we were shocked to learn that she has been referred to Marina where she died. I saw her…she was not in a bad state when I saw and her and even though I am not a doctor, cancer could not have been a cause of her death,” Moffat said adamantly.
    Scottish Livingstone PRO Nthabiseng Nkole avoided responding to questions about the matter two weeks ago. Her mobile phone rang unanswered when this publication made follow ups. Princess Marina Spokesperson Donnell Kutlapye said as a referral hospital, they can only use the information they are given by a referring health centre.
    “We look at what is being referred to us and deal with what we are given. We cannot move to diagnose what was not referred to us because we rely on the referrer for information about the patient and his or her condition,” he said, raising an indication that in their referral, Scottish Livingstone did not report Gaofose’s fall from the balcony.
    Gaolese’s family have engaged Yandani Boko from Motswagole & Company in consideration of litigation against the hospitals.