Gauteng health department denies being ill-prepared for mental patient move

The relocation of psychiatric patients from Life Esidimeni facilities is going well and allocated facilities are ready to receive them, according to the Gauteng health department.

The Star, 18 May 2016

The department earlier admitted it failed to inform at least 30 families that their mentally ill relatives were being moved over the past four days. Panic-stricken families found their relatives only after searching the half a dozen facilities set to house the patients. Spokesman Steve Mabona said it is regrettable that an impression is being created that the department is ill prepared for the relocation of patients.

Contrary to that, he said relocation is going well and all the facilities (NGOs, Weskoppies and Sterkfontein Psychiatric hospitals) are ready to take incoming patients. Mabona said 460 patients had been transferred, and about 1 200 were waiting to be moved. But the South Africa Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) operations director Cassey Chambers disagreed.

She said family members are still unsure which patients are being moved when. Families are trying to track down loved ones, with no information being given by Life Esidimeni or the department. Late last year, the department terminated its legacy contract with the group citing that it could no longer afford spending R323 712 000 a year for the then 2 378 patients. However, after a court battle, the department extended the contract until next month and said that in the interim, patients would be either discharged or readmitted to other institutions.