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Anti-retroviral drugs.
The family of a 67-year-old diabetic man from Botshabelo in the Free State say they are devastated, after their father’s health deteriorated from consuming anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) by mistake.
His son, Mokhethi Mokoqo says he realised weeks later when his father fell ill, that he had consumed ARVs.
The elderly man was mistakenly given ARVs instead of his chronic diabetic medication in July this year at the local clinic.
Mokoqo says his father was rushed to hospital by ambulance after he developed sores and couldn’t walk.He says a month after the incident, his father developed memory loss after being hospitalised for two weeks.
He says health officials came to the family home to offer their father compensation.
“On Monday morning, around 6am, I got a call, so I had to rush home and leave whatever I was doing. Upon arriving, I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he had cramps, and he could not feel the rest of his body. That’s when I decided to check his medication, and found out he was given ARVs, as ARVs have barcodes,” says Mokoqo.
