The number of mental healthcare patients who died at various Gauteng centres may be much higher than the reported 36‚ says civil rights group Section 27.Urgent action must be taken to protect mental healthcare patients who are “forced into dangerous conditions”‚ the organisation said in a statement on Friday.‘Health MEC must resign or be fired over psychiatric patients’ deaths’Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu should resign or be fired “over the deaths of psychiatric patients at the unsuitable NGOs in which they were placed after being discharged from Life Healthcare Esidimeni”. The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) also advided that “to save lives”‚ urgent remedial action should be taken and strong monitoring mechanisms put in place.Probe into psychiatric patients' deaths must happen as soon as possible: Health departmentAn independent probe into the death of 36 psychiatric patients in Gauteng is being dealt with as a matter of urgency‚ the National Department of Health said on Wednesday. About 2 000 patients were relocated to homecare or nongovernmental organisations after the provincial health department ended its long-term relationship with Esidimeni Life‚ the Daily Maverick reported.The Democratic Alliance’s health spokesman‚ Jack Bloom‚ expressed extreme concern “that psychiatric patients are still being treated at the Precious Angels NGO [in Atteridgeville] where a number of patients died after being transferred there from Life Esidimeni earlier this year”.Section 27 said: “The deaths resulting from the closure of Life Esidimeni [part of the Life Healthcare group] are tragic. The [Gauteng] department [of health] cannot in good faith‚ however‚ claim that they are surprising.“The department chose to ignore the warnings and advice provided to it‚ to stick to its responsibility to consult stakeholders and family members.“The MEC reported to the Gauteng legislature that 36 people were sent to Precious Angels — eight of those people are now believed to be dead‚” Section 27 said.Bloom said: “Precious Angels was only registered as an NGO in June this year shortly before receiving patients from Life Esidimeni. This fishy NGO should be investigated as soon as possible.”He said the Gauteng health department needs to justify urgently why patients are still being treated by the NGO where patients have already died.The SACBC said it welcomed the investigation by the health ombud into the deaths‚ calling on the department to include in the investigation an “urgent” assessment of the standards of clinic care and the respect of patient rights in the NGOs where the patients were transferred.“The death of 36 patients in a period of four months is a matter of public interest that requires a greater level of transparency and accountability. Those found negligent should be held to account‚” the organisation said.Section 27 called on the department to accept responsibility for the “full scope of the emergency it has caused”. – TMG Digital..