The Gauteng Department of Health announced a three-month extension to a contract with an “institution which accommodates mental patients” for it.It also vowed that the “about 1535 patients” will not be “thrown onto the streets” as a result of the termination of the contract with Life Healthcare Esidimeni Hospital.The Democratic Alliance’s Jack Bloom put the figure at 1900 patients when he on Tuesday voiced support for a march by their “who are to be discharged in just over a month”.He said they had “every right to be concerned as the department has made little progress in finding alternative places for the discharged patients”.But a department statement on Thursday said that “a lot of work has gone into preparation for transferring patients to different facilities and NGOs”.“And as part of this‚ a group of doctors have been observing all patients at the institution‚ classifying them into different categories of mental illness. The verification process would then inform where each patient should be transferred to.“Following the observation‚ the doctors took a decision based on clinical reasons that patients be discharged in phases‚ thereby extend the contract for three months. This process is meant to introduce patients to the new environment gradually and systemically.”The department had announced the termination of the contract with Life Healthcare Esidimeni Hospital in October last year‚ saying it “cannot afford” the more than R320-million it paid in the past year for the treatment of “around 2378” patients with psychiatric disorders or severe intellectual disabilities.Bloom had also raised concerns that “the promised renovations have not been made to the identified facilities”.On Thursday‚ the department countered this‚ saying: “A great deal of work has been done to refurbish the existing infrastructure for this purpose and as such our mental health institutions have sufficient beds and ready to accommodate transferred patients.”Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu said: "The termination of the said contract will assist the department to save funds from its budget and reprioritise other health responsibilities."She also assured “employees currently employed by Life Esidimeni that they will be absorbed by the department”...