Investigation launched into five-year-old’s playground injury at Tshwane school
Lubhelwana says the outcome of its investigation will determine what action is taken.
By Keletso Mkhwanazi, Health-e News
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is investigating a case after a five-year-old Grade R learner was injured at a Tshwane primary school and later required surgery.
Katlego Setshedi was injured while playing on a metal swing at Nchuncheko Primary School in Soshanguve during lunch break on Monday, 24 August.
Her mother, Tsholofelo Setshedi says Katlego told the family she had been injured by a loose screw on the swing during school break around 11am.
Setshedi says the school did not administer any first aid or informed her about the incident.
According to Setshedi her daughter attended class for the rest of the day until school ended. She says her daughter then walked home after school despite her injuries.
The school is situated about a kilometre from Block X Clinic, within walking distance.
Five-year-old arrives home with vaginal bleeding
Setshedi says her daughter arrived home with significant vaginal bleeding and had not received medical attention at school.
Health-e News saw photographs taken shortly after Katlego arrived home, which confirmed the extent of the bleeding.
“When she arrived, I got the shock of my life. I almost had a heart attack from the amount of blood that was flooding out,” Setshed says.
Setshedi says initially feared her daughter had been sexually assaulted. She rushed her daughter to Soshanguve Clinic 2 where a doctor told her the injuries were caused by a sharp object with no indication of sexual abuse.
“She bled so heavily that we had to change four sanitary pads before she was transferred to hospital,” she says.
Hours waiting for surgery
Katlego was transferred to Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital hours after being examined at the local clinic and only arrived at the provincial health facility by 9pm that night.
Setshedi, who kept Health-e News journalist, Keletso Mkhwanazi updated as the ordeal unfolded, says she had to carry her daughter around in the hospital for hours because no beds, stretchers or wheelchairs were available.
According to Setshedi her daughter only underwent surgery in the early hours of the following morning.
“Upon arrival around 9pm, I had to carry her in my arms overnight until she was admitted and taken to theatre for further treatment in the early hours of the morning.”
Setshedi says Katlego was treated in hospital for four days.
Setshedi believes her daughter should have received medical attention much sooner.
“If children play alone unsupervised and three hours later no one notices blood stains, then the children are being neglected by teachers who we trust when we place our children under their care,” she says.
Setshedi says the school did not report the matter to the district. Instead, she says she was given R100 to visit her child in hospital and was advised not to report the matter to authorities.
Education Department only learnt about injury from Health-e News
Health-e News visited Nchuncheko Primary School two days after the incident with Katlego’s family.
Blood stains were still visible on a classroom mat and concrete floors outside the school building. Our reporter found no dedicated sick bay or first-aid facility.
Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Onwabile Maphosa Lubhelwana says the department had not received a report about the incident before Health-e News contacted them.
“Consequently, officials were immediately dispatched to investigate the alleged incident and other allegations,” Lubhelwana says.
Lubhelwana confirmed Katlego’s teacher was absent on the day of the incident. He says learners had been placed under the supervision of two other Grade R educators.
The department also dispatched its Psychosocial Support Team to provide support to Katlego.
Lubhelwana says schools are expected to have a designated first-aid area or facility. He says resource-constrained schools may use designated administrative spaces for first aid.
Lubhelwana says the outcome of its investigation will determine what action is taken.
Hospital disputes mother’s account
The Gauteng Health Department disputes Setshedi’s account.
Spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed that a five-year-old child was admitted through the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit.
“The child was initially managed on the triage couch but was shortly moved to a surgical cubicle to be assessed by a gynaecologist,” Mabona says.
He says the girl was then admitted to Ward 18 for theatre preparation and received clinical and psychosocial care.
Mabona says at the time of her arrival, the hospital’s 24-bed Accident and Emergency Unit was dealing with 135 patients.