The child's mother has raised serious concerns, claiming that her four-year-old daughter was assaulted while under medical care at Pholosong Hospital in Tsakane.
The mother, who spoke to EKFM News, says her daughter, who is a hydrocephalus patient who cannot walk or talk was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. She explains that yesterday they had temporarily left the hospital to visit Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital for a dental consultation but was instructed to return her child to Pholosong.
“When we came back from Nelson Mandela, visiting hours were already over, so I had to leave her in her bed,” she says. “When I returned later at 16:00, I found blood on the floor in front of her bed, and her mouth was bleeding. I asked the doctor what happened to my child, but he couldn’t face me. He kept sending someone else to talk to me.”
The mother also showed EKFM News a video she took earlier yesterday morning, before the alleged assault, which shows the child appearing unharmed.
She says she suspects her daughter was assaulted because she is unable to move on her own. “If you leave her in one position, you’ll find her in the same position when you get back. When I found her, she was lying on her back, and there were blood stains on the duvet,” she explained.
A source at the hospital, who requested anonymity, told EKFM that this is not the first time such an incident has allegedly occurred in the children’s ward.
The mother says she now wants the matter to be investigated and exposed, claiming that parents are not allowed to stay with their children overnight.
Pholosong Hospital has been contacted for comment to provide clarity on the allegations and to confirm whether an internal investigation is under way.
This is a developing story. EKFM News will update it as more information becomes available.