LIMPOPO – The department of health insists that there was only one death, but the number of load shedding deaths at Letaba Hospital have been put into dispute.
According to a DA press release Phillimon Malatji says his niece, Faith Malatji, who was admitted the previous week due to cerebral hemorrhage was one of the three patients who’s life support machines were cut off when the hospitals generators ran short of diesel during load shedding.
On her death certificate it states that Faith Malatjie death was due to natural causes, but the family knows that she had a cerebral hemorrhage.
According to the press release the hospital did not inform the family of Faith’s passing, they heard it on the radio. Phillimon Malatji told the DA that the nurse at the hospital, without being questioned, sought to reassure the family that her was not caused by load shedding.
There are many grey areas in this whole debacle which warrant no less than a fully-fledged investigation says the DA.
The DA on behalf of the family say they will do the following:
- Demand from the provincial government that a post mortem be conducted by an independent pathologist to establish the cause and the time of death.
- Assist the Malatji family to access legal recourse to take on the government and ensure that justice is done
- Demand that the provincial government holds the hospital’s officials accountable who are responsible for negligently causing the deaths of these patients.
- Engage in a series of protest actions until the family’s demands are met.
On Friday the DA has established that the faulty generator is a recurring problem at this hospital. This was also confirmed publicly by Minister Aaron Motsoaledi when he visited this hospital last week. The DA says the health department is accountable and must put measures in place to ensure that all generators function all the time when needed.
The DA says they will do everything in their power to get to the bottom of this matter and ensure that the family of the deceased gets justice.
