THIS is the horrifying moment maggots are seen wriggling in the mouth of a mute patient as the nurses have been accused of neglecting him.
Abdul Ebrahim suffered a stroke in 2014 leaving him immobile and unable to speak.
He was admitted to the hospital for a minor leg injury before he was released and given antibiotics from RK Khan Hospital in eastern South Africa.
The wound started to smell about a month later.
Azzad, his son, told local media: “My mother came home from work to find his leg turned completely black and had become like jelly.”
When they took Abdul back to the hospital where he had his leg amputated for an unknown reason.
Azzad said he was reassured by staff his father was being cared for, including his hygiene.
He assumed the care included brushing his father’s teeth – until he noticed his top lip was swollen.
‘I SCREAMED’
Upon a closer look, scores of maggots were crawling in his gums.
Azzad said: “Maggots were crawling and so active and moving. I lost my mind. I screamed. I couldn’t believe that no one attended to him.
“The first thing anyone does in the morning is brush their teeth. They couldn’t even do that?
“Not even a guard came into the room. They just isolated my dad in the room because of the smell.”
Azzad then asked the nurses to clean his father, but he claims they didn’t fulfil his request.
He ended up cleaning his father’s mouth himself with tissues.
He suspects his father didn’t receive the care he needed.
The farther has since passe away from natural causes.
A dental expert said maggots can flourish if there are flies around.
Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, a member of the executive council of KwaZulu-Natal’s department of health, has called for a full investigation.
She said: “The reality of it is that it means, while he was under our care, and he had the challenges that he did, he also had an added discomfort of having to deal with the situation that he was faced with.
“I have requested the acting head of department that we should do a thorough investigation.”