Woman given contraceptives and mental illness pills for breast cancer

A LIMPOPO woman got the shock of her life when she discovered that for more than three years she had been using wrong medication for breast cancer.

Marubini Flora Makumbe, 56, from Nngwekhulu village in Vuwani, Limpopo, said the Tshilidzini Hospital has been supplying her with contraceptive tablets.

Makumbe said she was alerted by a neighbour, who saw her take the tablets. The neighbour noted that they were birth control pills.

"I went back to the hospital where I was given the wrong medication, which I had used for three years. I started feeling pains and gained weight with big muscles developing on my face, neck, hands and legs," Makumbe said.

"My four children were shocked to see me becoming aggressive when I was using those medications."

Community members were also surprised to see changes in Makumbe's body.

"Another neighbour asked me about my sudden weight gain. I went to the nearest clinic, Davhana, where a nurse was shocked to see me using these pills instead of ones meant for cancer. A nurse referred me back to Tshilidzini Hospital to see the doctors."

Makumbe said that a nurse who was working in the psychiatric section did not find her name on his list. It is suspected the pills she was given were meant for someone from her neighbouring village.

"My problem is that I cannot read and understand English. I thought the nurses had given me the correct medication.

"Since I started using the wrong medication I felt changes all over my body, but I thought it was a sign of healing.

"I was a hard worker but my children are starving due to the lack of food on the table," Makumbe said.

She has called on the Health Department to compensate her.

Provincial health spokeswoman Snenhlanhla Gumede said the department is aware of Makumbe's case. She said she could not discuss Makumbe's medical records without compromising her privacy.

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