1835 psychiatric patients still to find alternative homes in Gauteng
Patients transferred on an ongoing basis to the new facilities and NGOs.
There are 1835 psychiatric patients still in the care of Life Healthcare Esidimeni who will be placed in alternative homes before the end of June this year.
This was disclosed by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in an oral reply to the Democratic Alliances (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom’s questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to Mahlangu, 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.
“She defended the recent transfer of 54 patients, including the very elderly, to the Takalani Centre in Soweto for the intellectually disabled, which was approved yesterday (March 15) by a court after being challenged by mental health NGOs.
“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,” said Bloom.
