Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says the Health Professions Council of South Africa will decide on recommendations made by the Health Ombud into the deaths of two patients at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital, and the admission of two others at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital.

This follows a report released by Professor Taole Mokoena, which uncovered severe infrastructure collapse, poor clinical care and chronic mismanagement as key contributors, with patients literally freezing to death due to electricity failures.

Minister Motsoaledi says this pointed out at qualified doctors who clinically failed in their duties.

“These patients were where they were supposed to be – in a hospital with doctors who went to medical schools, got trained, with nurses who got trained, with managers who were interviewed and given their job. When people go to hospital, their job is to take temperatures, to check the blood sugar. That’s what they call vital signs. If they could not do that, the question is, should they be practicing? That cannot be answered by the Ombud person or me. It has to be referred to the Health Professions Council of South Africa because it’s professional misconduct and it’s within their purview to decide what must happen.”

Motsoaledi elaborates in the video below: 

Recommendations 

In his report, Professor Mokoena called for a review of supply chain systems, disciplinary hearings, training of hospital personnel and an overhaul of both facilities.

Mokoena recommended that the National Department of Health establish a forensic investigation for the entire Northern Cape provincial health supply chain management system.

He added that says the absence of electricity after cable theft and vandalism of an Eskom substation exposed patients to severe cold, adding that junior health workers were left in charge of important units.

“We’ve made some recommendations for remedial action. First of all, the electricity has been restored but what is needed is that the security must be beefed up so that the the vandalism and the theft should not return. Number two is that the resuscitation equipment at the mental hospital is either non functional or absent. But we’ve recommended that these be purchased and that people must be trained in using this equipment to resuscitate patients.”

Prompt action is needed at Northern Cape hospitals – Prof Taole Mokoena: