The Laverna Private Hospital in Ladysmith in northern KwaZulu-Natal is being sued for alleged medical negligence that resulted in the death of a 35 year-old civil servant.

The hospital which is owned by the Lenmed group is accused of having botched an operation on Mandisa Hlophe, a civil servant who hailed from Ezakheni township and worked for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport.

Hlophe was admitted to the hospital on April 4 this year to give birth through the C-section procedure.

Lawyers representing Hlophe and her fiance alleged that a few days after the procedure which was allegedly not done correctly, she was sent back for intensive care and she later died, leaving a toddler who was nine days old at the time.

Although the quantum of the suit has not yet been determined, Hlophe’s fiance, Mlindi Mnyandu said they will claim millions as Hlophe had dependants, a long and stable career ahead of her in the civil service and her death traumatised a lot of her family members.

“The lawyers would decide how much should be claimed from the hospital. So far they have initiated the first step to kick off the lawsuit,” Mnyandu said.

The Lenmed group said it cannot discuss the matter with the media or third parties as it is bound by the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the National Health Act, and strict patient confidentiality obligations.

“Patient safety, quality of care, and clinical governance remain of paramount importance across all Lenmed facilities. All concerns relating to patient care are treated with the seriousness, sensitivity, and empathy they deserve and are managed through established clinical governance, quality assurance, and review processes in line with applicable healthcare regulations, ethical standards, and internal protocols.

“Lenmed maintains robust clinical governance frameworks, multidisciplinary oversight structures, credentialing and peer review processes, and ongoing quality monitoring mechanisms to support the delivery of safe, ethical, and patient-centred healthcare.

“In line with the private healthcare environment in South Africa, medical practitioners practising at Lenmed facilities are independent practitioners and are not employees of the hospital.

Lenmed will cooperate fully with relevant authorities, in line with applicable laws and regulations and in the best interests of our patients and their families, if required,” said Michelle Naidoo, the Group Marketing and Communications Manager at Lenmed.