A stab to the chest is not something many would survive, but 20-year-old Tumisang Motsikwa is alive to tell the tale, having undergone emergency surgery to save his life.
The grade 12 pupil was trying to help a day who was being mugged when he was stabbed in the chest and had to be rushed to the Bheki Mlangeni District Hospital (BMDH) in Jabulani, Soweto. He arrived bleeding and was said to be in critical condition at the time.
With low blood pressure and all, the prognosis seemed dire. However, Dr Sashriqua Palliam and her team immediately commenced treatment. He would have been transferred to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, but his condition so so critical he had to be operated on at the Bheki Mlangeni District Hospital.
The operation was a success. Tumisang was kept in the ICU for three days after which he was taken to the surgical ward and eventually discharged on Friday.
It was a triumph not only for Tumisang but also for the hospital because it was the first time a heart surgery had been performed there. With that operation will likely come new patients, having seen what can be done at the hospital. Some solidarity
