The increased admissions of these psychiatric patients at hospitals like the Helen Joseph hospital in Johannesburg and the Bheki Mlangeni district hospital in Soweto have affected the overall function of their emergency departments. Additionally, it has affected the care of other medical patients, and led to serious health and safety risk to patients, and hospital staff.
According to a source at the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital, the majority of the psychiatric patients they see have disorders caused by ongoing substance abuse which is rampant in Soweto. Most of the patients are said to present with schizophrenia and substance-induced psychosis.
In this episode of Boots on the Ground: behind South Africa’s national headlines, we get to hear from sources just how bad the state of psychiatric healthcare is becoming.
The Boots on the Ground podcast is dedicated to unravelling some of SA’s biggest news stories. It follows Sunday Times reporters as they investigate the stories making the headlines.
Subscribe for free: iono.fm | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Player.fm
Boots on the Ground
PODCAST | Inside Gauteng's psychiatric healthcare crisis
A TimesLIVE investigation has revealed that some public hospitals in Gauteng are facing a psychiatric healthcare crisis.
Public hospitals in the province, which is said to have the highest number of mental health patients in the country, are inundated with psychiatric patients, adding to the strain on personnel, resources and infrastructure.
Listen here:
The increased admissions of these psychiatric patients at hospitals like the Helen Joseph hospital in Johannesburg and the Bheki Mlangeni district hospital in Soweto have affected the overall function of their emergency departments. Additionally, it has affected the care of other medical patients, and led to serious health and safety risk to patients, and hospital staff.
According to a source at the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital, the majority of the psychiatric patients they see have disorders caused by ongoing substance abuse which is rampant in Soweto. Most of the patients are said to present with schizophrenia and substance-induced psychosis.
In this episode of Boots on the Ground: behind South Africa’s national headlines, we get to hear from sources just how bad the state of psychiatric healthcare is becoming.
The Boots on the Ground podcast is dedicated to unravelling some of SA’s biggest news stories. It follows Sunday Times reporters as they investigate the stories making the headlines.
Subscribe for free: iono.fm | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Player.fm
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