After Doctor Turned Her Away From Hospital
CCN Reporting
Adelaide, Eastern Cape:- An 11-year-old schoolgirl died after she was allegedly turned away from Adelaide Hospital by a doctor who reportedly dismissed her as faking her illness, despite pleas from teachers and her twin sister.
Sivuyisiwe Sivu Soul fell ill while at school in the Adelaide area. Her twin sister, Avu, noticed something was wrong when Sivuyisiwe asked for water and alerted the teachers. Concerned staff immediately rushed the girl to Adelaide Hospital for medical attention.
According to the family, the doctor on duty allegedly refused to provide proper treatment, claiming Sivuyisiwe was healthy or faking her symptoms. Despite the teachers pleading for further tests, observation, or additional assessment, the doctor reportedly sent her back to school without any meaningful medical intervention.
On the way back, or shortly after arriving near the school gates, Sivuyisiwe’s condition deteriorated rapidly. She collapsed and died before she could re-enter the schoolyard.
Her last reported words to her twin sister were heartbreaking: “Avu, I fail to understand that the doctor says I’m faking it, but I can feel that I’m dying.”
Her mother, Thelma Soul, is devastated and angry. She told family and supporters that she might have found some acceptance if the doctor had at least attempted to help but ultimately failed. Instead, she said, “the doctor did nothing.”
The exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed and is awaiting post-mortem and autopsy results. An investigation is expected.
Broader Crisis in South Africa’s Public Health System
This tragedy comes amid ongoing and well-documented strain on South Africa’s public healthcare facilities. Just recently, healthcare workers in Springbok staged a strike over severe staff shortages and poor working conditions. Cases of patients being turned away, long waiting times, and inadequate care have become disturbingly common in many provinces, particularly in rural and under-resourced areas like parts of the Eastern Cape.
Medical experts note that children can deteriorate extremely quickly. Standard practice for a pediatric patient presenting with acute symptoms requires, at minimum, proper vital signs monitoring, basic investigations, and safety netting – none of which reportedly occurred in this case.
Dismissing a symptomatic child without documentation or follow-up instructions represents a serious failure of duty of care. The family and community are calling for full accountability. The doctor involved and the relevant health authorities are expected to face scrutiny.
CCN extends its deepest condolences to the Soul family, especially her twin sister Avu and mother Thelma. No child should lose their life this way. Sivuyisiwe’s death is not just a personal tragedy – it reflects a public health system that is failing too many South Africans.
May she rest in peace.
“This story is developing. CCN will provide updates as more information, including autopsy results and any official response, as becomes available.
