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Motsoaledi demands answers on hospitals' deadly negligence

Motsoaledi demands answers on hospitals' deadly negligence

The Herald19 hours ago
'Now what do we make of this? All doctors and nurses are trained in the same institutions in the country. How come those doctors acted that way?'
He said poor leadership led to the tragedy.
'I can guess that they don't even have management meetings, even mortality meetings — because if they did, some of these things would've been picked up.
'I'm particularly disappointed about the RMSH because I was there when the hospital was opened. It was one of the best. In my speech I mentioned that for it to be one of the best, it needed the management to be on their toes all the time. It means that didn't happen. They had facilities that many other hospitals didn't have, so there is a failure of management.'
The Northern Cape department of health welcomed the health ombudsman's investigation report and committed to improving patient care.
'The department recognises the critical importance of mental health services and the vulnerability of psychiatric patients,' spokesperson Lebogang Majaha said.
'We are dedicated to implementing necessary improvements to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.'
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Motsoaledi demands answers on hospitals' deadly negligence
Motsoaledi demands answers on hospitals' deadly negligence

The Herald

time19 hours ago

  • The Herald

Motsoaledi demands answers on hospitals' deadly negligence

'Now what do we make of this? All doctors and nurses are trained in the same institutions in the country. How come those doctors acted that way?' He said poor leadership led to the tragedy. 'I can guess that they don't even have management meetings, even mortality meetings — because if they did, some of these things would've been picked up. 'I'm particularly disappointed about the RMSH because I was there when the hospital was opened. It was one of the best. In my speech I mentioned that for it to be one of the best, it needed the management to be on their toes all the time. It means that didn't happen. They had facilities that many other hospitals didn't have, so there is a failure of management.' The Northern Cape department of health welcomed the health ombudsman's investigation report and committed to improving patient care. 'The department recognises the critical importance of mental health services and the vulnerability of psychiatric patients,' spokesperson Lebogang Majaha said. 'We are dedicated to implementing necessary improvements to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.' TimesLIVE

Health Ombud reveals shocking neglect leading to two deaths at Northern Cape hospitals
Health Ombud reveals shocking neglect leading to two deaths at Northern Cape hospitals

IOL News

time2 days ago

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Health Ombud reveals shocking neglect leading to two deaths at Northern Cape hospitals

The Health Ombud, Professor Taole Mokoena, will release the findings of an investigation into the treatment, complications, and deaths of psychiatric patients at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital. Image: GCIS Health Ombud, Professor Taole Mokoena's investigation into the treatment of psychiatric patients at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital (NCMHH) and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH), found that the general care provided was 'substandard,' with two patients dying and another left bedridden following brain surgery. The investigation was launched following a complaint by Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi in October 2024. The incidents, which occurred in July and August 2024, were investigated in terms of Section 81A (11) of the National Health Amendment Act, 2013. The report revealed gross mismanagement, failure to provide urgent medical care, lack of functional equipment, and extreme infrastructural deficiencies. Mokoena said: 'The investigation concluded that the general care provided at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital to the patients was substandard, and patients were not attended to in a manner consistent with the nature and severity of their health condition, as required by Regulation 5 (1) of the Norms and Standards Regulations Applicable to Different Categories of Health Establishments, 2018.' One of the patients, Cyprian Mohoto, was transferred from NCMHH to RMSH on July 13, 2024, with a suspected abdominal obstruction. Tests showed he had pneumonia, which went untreated for three days until his death. The report found: 'His deteriorating clinical status was never attended to by either the nursing personnel or the doctors.' Mohoto died on July 16, 2024, in the Emergency Centre at RMSH. Health Ombud says patients died needlessly at Northern Cape hospitals due to non-functional equipment, poor leadership, and year-long power outages that left vulnerable psychiatric patients exposed, unmonitored, and untreated. Image: Pixabay In another case, Tshepo Mdimbaza was found unresponsive in bed at NCMHH on August 3, 2024. Resuscitation was delayed due to non-functional equipment. Mokoena noted, 'The resuscitation process was delayed due to the unavailability, malfunction, or unpreparedness of resuscitation equipment.' A post-mortem determined he died from 'exposure to the elements.' Petrus De Bruin collapsed at NCMHH on July 30, 2024 and was transferred to RMSH. The report found that: 'The medical care and investigations conducted in the Emergency Centre were appropriate. However, the monitoring by nursing personnel was found to be inadequate.' A fourth patient, John Louw, was diagnosed with an acute subdural haemorrhage. He underwent craniotomy and craniectomy procedures and was returned to NCMHH on October 28, 2024. He currently remains bedridden, said Mokoena. The Ombud highlighted broader systemic and infrastructural breakdowns at NCMHH. The hospital suffered a year-long electricity outage due to cable theft and failures in the Provincial Department of Health's supply-chain management. As a result, heating, ventilation, and emergency systems could not function. 'The delay in repairing the electricity supply to NCMHH was due to dysfunctional Supply Chain Management processes within the Provincial Department of Health.' 'The available resuscitation equipment was not operational, as it could not be charged, and other necessary equipment was unavailable for use,' the report found. Furthermore, 'NCMHH procured poor quality pyjamas and blankets which were inadequate to provide warmth to patients during the severe winter's cold, especially at night.' Leadership failures were also identified. 'Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital was found to have poor governance and systemic lack of leadership and poor management at all levels,' the Ombud said. At RMSH, there was a 'critical staff shortage across the board; lack of oversight with nursing supervision; communication breakdown of reporting systems,' and 'overcrowding at the hospital emergency centre.' Mokoena made a series of urgent recommendations including that the Provincial Head of Department of Health must immediately appoint a Task Team to monitor the implementation of the recommendations as outlined in the report. The Ombud also called for formal disciplinary action against officials found in breach of their duties, and a forensic investigation into NCMHH's procurement processes. Further recommendations include the creation and enforcement of proper Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), protocols, and guidelines to improve care. Cape Times

Calls for nurses' mental health and wellness to be taken seriously
Calls for nurses' mental health and wellness to be taken seriously

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Calls for nurses' mental health and wellness to be taken seriously

Healthcare leaders have called for urgent systemic action to prioritise nurses' wellness, warning that the health of the country's largest workforce is being overlooked to the detriment of patient outcomes. Speaking at the 5th African Nursing Conference in Boksburg, Brig-Gen Azwihangwisi Makumbane, from the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) said burnout, fatigue and lack of support have become silent threats within hospitals, clinics and military facilities. Makumbane has called on the government to urgently establish wellness clinics in all healthcare facilities, warning that without support systems for healthcare workers, their performance is compromised. 'We are supposed to have wellness clinics in every hospital by now. Healthcare professions are being taken as supermen and superwomen while they are also human beings and need the same support system,' Makumbane said. Makumbane said nurses, doctors, kitchen staff and security personnel all face extreme stress in the healthcare environment, yet there are few safe spaces for them to seek help. 'In the military, we have established a wellness clinic at 1 Military Hospital in Gauteng. It serves all our staff, not just nurses, but everyone from cleaners to clinicians. That model must be replicated across the country,' she said. She emphasised the importance of occupational health and safety units being properly staffed by trained medical professionals who can assess, refer and support staff with psychological or physical challenges. 'When nurses are emotionally exhausted, they lose compassion not because they do not care, but because they are drowning silently. Mental health is part of wellness, she said. TimesLIVE

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