'I'd rather die at home'

'AWFUL': MAN CHECKS OUT RATHER THAN ANOTHER NIGHT IN STATE HOSPITAL

- Jabulile Mbatha

Even though he has a life-threatening illness and is in constant pain, James Rudd would rather suffer at home than endure the collapsing mess at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg, one of Gauteng's biggest government medical institutions.

Rudd, 56, discharged himself and walked out of the hospital last month, because of "mismanagement, trauma, a broken bed, dodgy toilets, food that you can't eat, nursing staff who cannot communicate", according to his fiancée, Christelle Strydom.

Rudd's sister, Juliet da Costa, says the journey started in July, when James entered Far East Rand Hospital, "filled with apprehension yet hopeful for answers."

After undergoing a biopsy on his bladder, the devastating news arrived; it was cancer. He was scheduled for surgery in August, a date that soon became a symbol of disillusionment.

Da Costa said this caused complications for his prostate gland and kidneys. To make matters worse, his stay at the hospital was "far from bearable", she said.