The Jehovah's Witness father of a seriously anaemic 10-year-old KZN girl has said he was entitled to refuse to consent to a blood transfusion for her as he firmly believed that there were medically acceptable alternatives that were as effective, if not more.

In responding papers in the KZN High Court (Durban), the child's father said a private hospital had been willing to administer an alternative treatment to their child when doctors learned that the family's religious beliefs did not allow blood transfusions, says TimesLIVE.

The family is among three sets of parents who are fighting a court order granted to KZN Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo and two doctors to administer blood transfusions to their children aged three, five and 10. The 10-year-old's father said unlike the state doctor, the doctor at Netcare Mulbarton had accepted that his child's condition could 'viably be managed using a non-blood based treatment'.

'He implemented and persisted with an erythroprotein-based treatment.'

The child's condition had improved.

'Our religious beliefs are relevant to the question of identifying and implementing medically acceptable alternatives. Our belief that the Bible commands abstention from blood is tenet to our faith.

Accordingly, I am advised that it is one which must be reasonably accommodated by the state, by virtue of the constitutional protection granted in respect of religious belief and practice.'

Commissioned by the parents of the five-year-old boy to provide expert evidence to the court, Nigerian-based haemologist Marcus Asuquo said in his affidavit that there were other ways to treat sickle-cell anaemia.

The matter was adjourned to May.

Full TimesLIVE report