Another psychiatric patient, who was removed from the healthcare centre Life Esidimeni has died, bringing the number of deaths to 37.
|||Johannesburg - Another psychiatric patient, who was removed from the healthcare centre, Life Esidimeni, has died, bringing the number of mentally ill patients who have died to 37.
Gauteng spokesperson Steve Mabona has confirmed Nombulelo Emily Mthembu, 50, died on September 21.
According to Mabona, the deceased was one of the 1 300 patients who were moved from Life Esidimeni in Randfontein on the West Rand to save costs and relocated to various NGOs across the Gauteng province in June.
She died while she was in the Waverley Care Centre in Germiston, Mabona said.
Pressure has been mounting on Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu to resign after she announced the death of 36 psychiatric patients in the legislature recently.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has since launched an investigation through health ombudsman, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba.
The families of the patients have told The Sunday Independent that Mahlangu didn’t consult them about the relocation of their loved ones.
They said they felt neglected and added that Gauteng Health had given them no support.
They also said conditions at Life Esidimeni were better than the conditions at the centres to which their families had been relocated.
Mollie Zondi, a family member of one of the psychiatric patients, said: “We feel frustrated about what Gauteng Health did to our loved ones. We have decided as families to form a WhatsApp group where we can share our experience and support each other. Like now, we heard about the death of Mthembu through the WhatsApp group.”
SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) operations director, Cassey Chambers, said it was initially contacted in October last year by concerned family members and has since helped family members who have reported issues with the transfer of loved ones.
“We have assisted families by linking them with the family committee, helping them to locate loved ones who were moved without them knowing when, where or how.
“We have helped them to report their issues directly to the Gauteng Health Department.”
She said Sadag would continue to assist the family members to ensure their loved ones received the same level of care, or better, than they had received at Life Esidimeni.
“We are concerned that so many family members have reported issues regarding the poor services received at the NGOs, the lack of facilities and poor conditions found at the NGOs and the poor state in which they have been finding their loved ones,” said Chambers.
She pointed out that the Esidimeni patients were the most vulnerable and most affected in the saga.
Meanwhile, the SA Human Rights Commission has said in a statement: “The commission notes with grave concern the death of 36 patients who were among the 1 300 patients transferred from Life Esidimeni to various NGOs. The commission expresses its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and friends of those who passed away.”
The commission said it was monitoring the matter closely and has formally requested responses from the Gauteng Health Department in order to ascertain, among other things, what steps were put in place by the department to ensure the safety and well-being of patients who were transferred from Esidimeni to NGOs across the province.
The commission has also formally engaged with the health ombudsman to share information that it is privy to as a result of its own site inspection earlier last week of one of the NGOs concerned.
“The commission would continue to monitor the two investigative processes run by the department and the ombudsman closely in line with our constitutional mandate,” read its statement.
Sunday Independent