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Woman loses hand in accident
28/02/2008 08:23 - (SA)
Thandy Ndlovu and Sydney Masinga
Acornhoek - Maria Mbhandze used to work in a hospital laundry until her right hand got caught in the massive rollers of an industrial iron while she was running sheets through them.
Most of her hand had to be amputated. But today, five years later, she has still not received any compensation.
Mbhandze was a general assistant at Tintswalo hospital in Acornhoek, Mpumalanga, when the accident happened on January 22 2003.
"I couldn't feel a thing. My whole hand was numb, even when the nurses arrive to help I did not feel a thing," she explains.
All four of her fingers and part of her thumb were too badly damaged to save, so doctors had to cut off most of her hand.
Since then, she has struggled to get compensation for occupational injuries.
She received a claim number from the Department of Labour in Limpopo in 2006, but not any money.
According to Katherine Molepo, a Limpopo official who processes compensation claims for occupational injuries, Mbhandze's claim was sitting at the department's head office in Pretoria.
"She must just wait for the head office to process her claim," says Molepo.
Spokesperson for the national department of labour, Zolisa Sigaba, confirmed that Mbhandze's compensation claim was received by the office of compensation for occupational injuries in Pretoria.
She said the claim could not be processed, however, because the medical report they received from Magadzi's doctor did not clearly state the extent of her injuries.
"We need a doctor's report to tell us exactly how many centimetres below or above the elbow was her arm amputated, so that we can determine how much she is supposed to be compensated for," said Sigaba on Wednesday.
"We spoke to her family on Tuesday explaining the situation. If they can get the correct report from her doctor and fax it to us we will process it," she added.
- African Eye
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