(The Post News) – A family in the Eastern Cape is mourning the loss of a young woman who was mistakenly treated for tuberculosis (TB) when she was actually suffering from cancer, leading to a fatal delay in proper care.
20-year-old Sinentlahla Shinga was repeatedly treated for tuberculosis (TB) despite showing symptoms that were later confirmed to be cancer. By the time the correct diagnosis was made, it was too late for effective treatment.
Despite these red flags, medical staff continued to treat her for TB, a common illness in the region, without conducting more thorough diagnostic tests. The family alleges that their pleas for further investigation were ignored and that the healthcare system failed to act with urgency.
Diagnosed with TB
Shinga, a young woman from Bizana in the Eastern Cape, thought she was receiving treatment for tuberculosis. However, her health continued to deteriorate—she grew increasingly frail, her skin tone changed, and she eventually became bedridden, unable to care for herself.
Her family’s concerns were tragically validated when medical staff at a hospital in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, reportedly informed them that Shinga had been misdiagnosed.
The real cause of her illness was Lymphoma, a type of cancer, which by that point had already advanced throughout her body.
Pinky Qushwana, a relative who cared for Shinga in her final days, described her heartbreaking decline: “She was barely recognisable from the vibrant person she used to be.”
Qushwana recalled how Shinga became so frail that she could no longer walk or eat properly.
“We were devastated when the doctors finally admitted she’d been treated for the wrong illness all along,” she said.
Shinga had first sought help at St Patrick’s Hospital in Bizana in 2023 after falling ill. She was diagnosed with TB and placed on a six-month treatment plan. When her symptoms persisted, doctors extended the treatment for another six months, still unaware that she was battling cancer.
“Even after completing the second round of treatment, there was no improvement. Her condition kept getting worse. Eventually, she had to come live with me because there was no one else to look after her,” explained Qushwana.
As Shinga’s health declined further, her family rushed her to Port Shepstone Hospital. By that time, she was unconscious and experiencing hallucinations. Doctors discovered her blood sugar was dangerously low and identified two tumours—one on her neck and another near her lower abdomen.
While they couldn’t operate on the tumour in her neck, they removed the other. It was during this procedure that they realised she hadn’t been suffering from TB at all, it was Lymphoma, a form of cancer.
Eastern Cape Health Department
According to TimesLive, Siyanda Manana, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape health department, acknowledged that the department is aware of the incident.
He stated that the matter had been investigated and is now regarded as resolved.
Manana noted that public healthcare facilities follow established procedures for handling misdiagnosis cases.
These are reviewed by both the Patient Safety Incident Committee and the Complaints Management Committee, where patients or their families can formally raise concerns, including those involving incorrect diagnoses.
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