Latest news with #NtandokaziCapa
The South African
22-05-2025
- Health
- The South African
Eastern Cape healthcare couple gunned down in their home
Eastern Cape police have launched a manhunt for suspects who shot and killed a healthcare couple at their home in the Dick Locality, Lusikisiki, on Wednesday night, 21 May 2025. According to SAPS, the victims, a 39-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man, were ambushed in a brutal attack at around 19:50. The man had just arrived home and was still in his vehicle when two armed men in balaclavas held him at gunpoint. The suspects allegedly demanded to see his wife and forced him into the house. Once inside, the gunmen called out for the woman. When she came out of the bedroom, they opened fire, killing her on the spot. They then shot and killed her husband. The gunmen spared the domestic worker inside the house. Police have opened a double murder case and are appealing to the public for information. The victims were employees at St Elizabeth Hospital, the woman a professional nurse, and the man a deputy director in the Eastern Cape Department of Health. Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa expressed deep shock and sadness at the killings. 'Losing a life is one too many. It is even more difficult when a health professional is involved. They play a crucial role in serving our communities,' Capa said. 'These colleagues have departed at a time when the country relied heavily on their expertise as professionals who were serving their citizens with commitment and integrity,' she said. What steps must authorities take to protect frontline healthcare workers, especially in communities plagued by violent crime with no clear motive? Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
![Newborns snatched from Dora Nginza Hospital [video]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesouthafrican.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F05%2Fpexels-pixabay-208189-1.jpg.optimal.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
The South African
21-05-2025
- The South African
Newborns snatched from Dora Nginza Hospital [video]
Two women snatched two premature babies from Dora Nginza Hospital on Tuesday night, 20 May 2025, and vanished, sparking a full-scale manhunt in Gqeberha. A security guard tried to stop the suspects when they entered the maternity ward carrying a bag. Staff assumed they were breastfeeding mothers. One of the women slipped past the guard and entered the nursery with the same bag. Read the full version of the ' Two Gqeberha newborns stolen from Dora Nginza Hospital' article. According to the Eastern Cape Health Department, CCTV footage shows her later exiting through a different door. Hospital management reviewed the footage and called the police, who have opened a criminal case. Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa condemned the breach and ordered an internal investigation. She called on the Gqeberha community to help locate the babies. Looking for quick updates? Watch News in a Minute videos on The South African's YouTube page for all the key stories you need to know! Catch all the latest videos on news, lifestyle, travel, sports and more – there's always something to watch! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky to stay connected and get your news on the go!
The South African
21-05-2025
- The South African
Two Gqeberha newborns stolen from Dora Nginza Hospital
Two women snatched two premature babies from Dora Nginza Hospital on Tuesday night, 20 May 2025, and vanished, sparking a full-scale manhunt in Gqeberha. A security guard tried to stop the suspects when they entered the maternity ward carrying a bag. Staff assumed they were breastfeeding mothers. One of the women slipped past the guard and entered the nursery with the same bag. According to the Eastern Cape Health Department, CCTV footage shows her later exiting through a different door. Hospital management reviewed the footage and called the police, who have opened a criminal case. Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa condemned the breach and ordered an internal investigation. She called on the Gqeberha community to help locate the babies. 'We are providing essential services to our communities, and hospitals should not be targets of criminal elements,' she said. The department says attacks on hospitals in Gqeberha are rising. It spends millions annually on private security. In response to ongoing threats, officials have boosted security with new technologies across facilities. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
20-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Eastern Cape cancer patients face more delays in getting critical chemotherapy
Patients, doctors and medical personnel face more chemotherapy disruptions after the Eastern Cape Department of Health said it would settle outstanding accounts with pharmaceutical companies only on Friday. The struggle for chemotherapy medication in Nelson Mandela Bay's state hospitals and at Frere Hospital in East London is likely to continue until at least the weekend, after the Eastern Cape Department of Health confirmed it would pay pharmaceutical companies that are owed millions of rands, only on Friday. With stock running dangerously low, oncologists, pharmacists and nurses have had to make excruciating decisions about who receives treatment and who does not, with some oncology units left with just one vial of the potentially lifesaving treatment. Medical staff have spent hours phoning across the province in a bid to source the drugs, particularly for children, to avoid cancer patients' treatment being interrupted. Patients' caregivers, who asked to remain anonymous, said they had been turned away when bringing children for chemotherapy. They said they had been told they would have to make a second trip when the chemotherapy drugs became available. On Monday, the Eastern Cape MEC for health, Ntandokazi Capa, promised that outstanding bills would be paid immediately; however, patients have been turned away and treatments halted. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has launched an investigation into the repeated interruptions of cancer treatment for public healthcare patients in the Eastern Cape due to unpaid accounts. Dr Eileen Carter from the SAHRC said the Democratic Alliance (DA) had laid a complaint with them about the matter. On Monday, Capa's spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, said R200-million had been set aside for the procurement of essential specialist medicines, including for cancer treatment. He said R43-million of this would be used to settle debts with pharmaceutical companies. However, on Tuesday he said this payment would probably only be made on Friday. Salomé Meyer from the Cancer Alliance said they were deeply concerned about cancer services in the Eastern Cape. 'Livingstone Hospital (this includes the two cancer units at Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital), now for the third time this year, does not have oncology medicines, and this is barely two months after the start of the new financial year. Should this trend of non-payment of invoices to suppliers continue, the lives of cancer patients will be impacted severely,' she said. Meyer said the head of the Eastern Cape Department of Health, Dr Rolene Wagner, had committed to meeting with them to find workable solutions for cancer care services in the province. The oncology units in Gqeberha previously ran out of chemotherapy medication in January after the Eastern Cape Department of Health's account with a supplier was suspended due to a delayed payment.. At the time, the medicines that were in short supply were Docetexal injection vials and anastrozole tablets. There was a similar shortage in 2023, which was blamed on a stock-out at suppliers. DM
Daily Maverick
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Cancer treatment interrupted for hundreds after Eastern Cape health department fails to pay medication bills
Desperate doctors have been forced to make decisions about who receives chemotherapy and who does not, with some oncology units left with only a single vial of the potentially life-saving treatment. The cancer treatment of hundreds of patients, including children, has been interrupted after the Eastern Cape Department of Health failed to pay suppliers for chemotherapy drugs. The province's MEC for Health, Ntandokazi Capa, has promised that outstanding bills will be paid immediately, but patients have already been turned away and treatments halted. Desperate doctors have been forced to make decisions about who receives chemotherapy and who does not, with some oncology units left with only a single vial of the potentially life-saving treatment. Medical staff said that as their urgent emails went unanswered, they spent the whole of Sunday frantically trying to borrow, exchange or buy chemotherapy medication from private pharmacists to avoid interrupting treatment for hundreds of patients. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has launched an investigation into the repeated interruptions of cancer treatment for public healthcare patients in the Eastern Cape due to unpaid accounts. Dr Eileen Carter from the SAHRC said the Democratic Alliance (DA) had laid a complaint with them about the matter. 'We have opened an investigation into the allegations received. It will now be undertaken as per our complaints handling processes,' she said. 'This is no longer a cash flow problem. It is a gross violation of human rights,' said the DA's spokesperson for health in the province, Jane Cowley. 'This ongoing crisis is not only jeopardising the physical health of cancer patients but is also taking a severe toll on their emotional and mental wellbeing. 'How does one explain to the mother of a 14-year-old boy that his treatment cannot continue because the department's non-payment has led the supplier to close their account? How does a doctor respond to a heartfelt letter from a 33-year-old woman, diagnosed with a curable form of Hodgkin lymphoma, who is begging for treatment so she can raise her three-year-old child? Impossible choices 'These are the impossible choices our healthcare workers are forced to face daily. Meanwhile, senior officials sit comfortably in air-conditioned offices, use state-owned vehicles for private errands and continue to protect a bloated payroll of politically connected individuals in non-essential posts,' said Cowley. The Eastern Cape health department spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, acknowledged systemic problems in the public health sector, including the lack of permanent CEOs at Livingstone and Port Elizabeth Provincial hospitals in Gqeberha. 'But we are busy conducting interviews now,' he said. The hospitals last had permanent CEOs in 2018, when unions ran the management teams out of the facilities. Kupelo said MEC Capa had stepped in to ensure that R200-million was set aside for specialist medicines, including cancer treatment. 'The department wishes to confirm allocation of R200-million for the procurement of essential specialist medicines, including for cancer treatment. R43-million of this allocation will be utilised in paying pharmaceutical companies for cancer medicines that were owed from the last financial year. This payment is expected to be effected this week. 'Availability of all categories of essential medicines in all our health facilities is a priority, and every year, the department budgets over R2-billion for this purpose. We have strengthened our distribution plan, and our main medicine depots are strategically positioned to supply the entire province. These are the PE medical depot in Gqeberha and Mthatha medical depot in the OR Tambo district,' said Kupelo. He said cancer patients were receiving their treatment even though alternative medication had to be administered in some cases. 'This week, the department is expecting additional stock from Adcock Health, Fresenius (Kabi), Kiara and Macleods,' he added. He said two chief directors had been assigned to Gqeberha to accelerate service delivery at Livingstone and Dora Nginza hospitals. 'The MEC gave a clear message to her management. She was there. She received the problems. She has given them until the end of the month to implement the decisions they have taken. 'You don't want to run away from a big elephant,' he said. 'Hospital management knows that the lack of a district hospital makes things difficult in the metro, as specialist hospitals must act as a district hospital.'
