462 patients died in four years at Life Esidimeni – report

City Press reports that in the wake of the massive fallout following the deaths of at least 94 mental health patients in Gauteng, it has emerged that the healthcare company that had cared for the thousands of patients before their transfers had also been dealing with high mortality rates.

However, the rate of death of patients while they were in the care of Life Esidemeni centres appears to have been less than half that when compared with the 27 unlicensed and illegal NGOs who took over their care last year (3 and 4 for every 100 patients instead of 7 out of every hundred at the NGOs).

The health ombud made damning findings against the Gauteng department of health, and MEC Qedani Mahlangu has subsequently quit. The paper further reported that pressure had allegedly needed to be applied on her from Gauteng Premier David Makhura for her to pack her bags.

Mahlangu reportedly felt that Life Esedimeni needs to shoulder some of the blame for the patient deaths, as she allegedly felt they “sabotaged” the transfers of patients, though this is highly disputed and the company provided evidence to City Press that they had done their best to hand over patient records and care advice during a chaotic transfer period that even involved patients being “herded on to bakkies or strapped down with bed sheets during transit”.

When Motsoaledi learnt of this, he reportedly changed his mind about any sabotage on Life Esedimeni’s part.

The newspaper also reported that at least 22 further patients are likely to join the official death toll, as a number of bodies were yet to be identified in Tshwane mortuaries.

Mahlangu’s supporters are reportedly trying to use the fact that 462 patients died at Life Esidemeni centres to bolster her decision to terminate the Esidemeni contract after 40 years of service.

City Press discussed this matter with the ombud, Prof Malegapuru Makgoba, who said that he had not overlooked the deaths at Life Esedimeni, but charged that they were not as relevant as they might appear, since mental health patients do not live as long as the general population, and the deaths at Life Esedimeni’s centres had primarily been due to typical natural causes such as “cardiovascular, respiratory, and infections diseases, diabetes and hypertension”.

In the case of the illegally operating NGOs, however, Makgoba, found that there had been shocking, unprofessional levels of care.

Qedani is understood to have been attempting cost-savings by transferring the patients, but the transfers were made in a very rushed manner, with the NGOs not in a position to provide the requisite care.

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