DA doubts Gauteng’s claims on transfer of psychiatric patients

15 March 2016 - 15:17 By TMG Digital

The Democratic Alliance (DA) remained unconvinced “that everything is going as smoothly” with the transfer of psychiatric patients from Life Healthcare Esidimeni as Gauteng’s health MEC has claimed. The Party’s Jack Bloom said Gauteng’s health head Qedani Mahlangu revealed that 1835 patients are still in the care of Life Healthcare Esidimeni‚ and they “will be placed in alternative homes before the end of June this year”.Her reply‚ said Bloom‚ came on the same day as a court approved the transfer of “54 patients‚ including the very elderly‚ to the Takalani Centre in Soweto for the intellectually disabled”.The move had been challenged by mental health NGOs on Monday‚ he said.Bloom said Mahlangu claimed that “existing health facilities are all ‘almost ready’ to take the patients and NGOs are hiring staff and being given licenses to look after them as well”.“She said that patients were being transferred on an ongoing basis to the new facilities and to NGOs and there would be no patients with Life Healthcare by the end of June when the three-month extension to their contract expires‚” said Bloom.“I am not convinced that everything is going as smoothly as the MEC claims.“There are many anxious families who are unable to look after relatives who are shortly going to be discharged from Life Healthcare‚ and I hope that suitable facilities can indeed be found for them.”The battle started in October when the department of health announced it was not renewing its contract with the Life Esidimeni Group that houses 1900 severely ill psychiatric patients in homes for the priovince.The department had been paying for the care of almost 2000 mentally ill patients in these facilities at R10000 a patient a month. The homes provided included constant nursing care and a psychiatrist treatment when needed.Many of the patients are unstable‚ violent‚ psychotic and need 24-hour care‚ according to affidavits prepared by their family members. Some have been abandoned by families and others do not respond to medical treatment.In December‚ when patients were being discharged despite not being stable‚ the Department was taken to court by the SA Depression and Anxiety Group‚ the SA Federation for Mental Health and the SA Society of Psychiatrists and a group of patients' families.The health department settled out of court on December 22 by agreeing not to remove any patients from the Life homes and by agreeing to assess each patients' health individually to determine where they need to be moved to.The Gauteng department of health agreed in a legal settlement to work out where to place the 1900 patients in consultation with the NGOs and patient's relatives.However‚ a court affidavit prepared on the weekend accuses the department of failing to provide documentation on how many patients have been discharged since December.The groups fear patients are being discharged early in breach of the court agreement.Last week‚ the NGOs discovered 54 adult patients were to be moved today to a home for children who are severely mentally handicapped. - TMG Digital/The TimesThey ask if the adults including a patient who is 101 years old and who have dementia or schizophrenia or psychosis will be appropriately cared for in an NGO that helps children with intellectual disability.Patients' families have said in affidavits previously prepared that they cannot look after their relatives as they require 24-hour supervision. One continually sets fire to things‚ others do not respond to treatment and have hallucinations or psychotic episodes."The users at Life Esidimeni are‚ as a matter of policy‚ not ready to be discharged to their communities and require a very high level of care‚" read the court papers.The NGOs’ affidavit said: "Second‚ the State has a negative obligation not to reduce the degree of access to health care services that are currently available. Put differently‚ the State may not take or permit any regressive measures that cut back on the health care services that it has already put in place."This‚ it said‚ was according to the Constitution.The department of health has met with the families of patients and promised to renovate old state owned buildings to become new homes. They have also said these mentally ill patients can be housed at Sterkfontien and Weskoppies mental hospitals.But the NGOs have evidence that these facilities are overcrowded already and cannot care for long term chronic patients.The earmarked buildings have not been renovated even though Life Contract comes to an end in June and the patients have nowhere to go...

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