Province asks NGO to keep mental patients

27 February 2017 - 08:34 By KATHARINE CHILD
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SHUT UP OR ELSE: Ike Thlolwe's brother, Michael, died two weeks ago at NGO Shammah House, to which he had been moved from a Life Esidimeni home. The NGO has threatened to sue Ike for blaming it for his brother's death.
SHUT UP OR ELSE: Ike Thlolwe's brother, Michael, died two weeks ago at NGO Shammah House, to which he had been moved from a Life Esidimeni home. The NGO has threatened to sue Ike for blaming it for his brother's death.
Image: KABELO MOKOENA

Despite the health ombudsman recommending that all former Life Esidimeni psychiatric patients be removed from the NGOs to which they had been transferred, the Gauteng department of health HAS sent a contract to one NGO in terms of which it would continue to accommodate patients.

Ninety-four patients died while in the supposed care of the NGOs, which were operating without a licence and therefore illegally.

A lawyer for NGO Shammah House, Teresa Conradie, said a contract renewal offer by the Gauteng health department had been sent on February 10.

Health ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba recommended moving the patients out of the NGOs on February 1.

On February 14, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said all patients would be removed from NGOs.

Shammah says it has not received confirmation of this.

Shammah House has 44 of the patients transferred from Life Esidimeni.

  • 789 psychiatric patients are still in 22 NGOs‚ says MEC RamokgopaNew Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa has vowed to turn the department around and rebuild its reputation - roping in mental health experts to help achieve this goal.

It is threatening to sue the brother of one of the patients who died in its care.

Michael Thlolwe, 60, who was at Life Esidimeni for four years, died at Shammah House minutes before an ambulance was to take him to a hospital on February 12.

He was found to have a distended stomach.

His brother, Ike , reportedly said that Michael might have been mistreated at Shammah House - which promptly sent him an e-mail on Thursday in which he was warned that if he did not stop blaming the NGO for his brother's death, "we will sue you for defamation," said Conradie.

  • Esidimeni families’ plea: Do not use tragedy to settle political scoresThe families of the more than 90 psychiatric patients who died after being transferred from Life Esidimeni to nongovernmental organisations have asked political parties not to use the tragedy to settle their political scores.

The e-mail told Thlolwe to retract his statements to the media and provide proof and "documentation" of doing so within a day.

"Our instructions are that our client attended to your brother's health and welfare according to best practice and followed every relevant protocol.

"Our client reserves its rights to take any legal action should they become aware of any untrue, unfounded or defamatory statements or insinuations in respect of their conduct."

DA health spokesman Jack Bloom reported the sending of the e-mail to Gauteng health MEC Gwen Ramagkopa. Her spokesman, Prince Hamnca, said the department "finds the letter written to the family to be heavy handed.

  • EFF members call for Makhura to step down over Esidimeni tragedyMembers of the EFF protested outside the stadium where Gauteng Premier David Makhura was to address the province and called for him to step down following the deaths of Esidimeni psychiatric patients.

"We believe we shouldn't speak to bereaved families in this manner. We also want to encourage the facility to engage directly with the family."

Hamnca said he was "unaware" of the offer by his department to renew the Shammah House contract contrary to the recommendation by the health ombudsman to remove all patients from NGOs.

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