JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - At least 94 mentally ill patients died after South African authorities moved them last year from hospital to unlicensed health facilities that were compared to "concentration camps", a government investigation revealed on Wednesday (Feb 1). The Premier of the Gauteng Province must, in the light of the findings in this Report, consider the suitability of MEC Qedani Dorothy Mahlangu to continue in her current role as MEC for Health. "It's remarkable that only one person has died from a mental health-related illness," he told journalists. "The decision was unwise and flawed, with inadequate planning and a chaotic and rushed or hurried implementation process," Professor Malegapuru Makgoba said in his report. Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu has resigned in the wake of the health ombud's report into the death of 94 mentally ill patients after they were moved from the licensed Life Esidimeni private homes to 27 unlicensed facilities. * Newly-established NGOs were mysteriously and poorly selected, poorly prepared, ‘not ready’, their staff was not trained, not qualified and was unable to distinguish between the highly specialized non-stop professional care requirements of ‘assisted’ Mental Health Care User (MCHU) from LE and a business opportunity; there were often mismatches between MCHU functionality with NGO fitness for purpose. Of significance in this memo was Dr. Selebano’s revelation and claim that the ‘decision to start deinstitutionalization of mental health care users from LE was undertaken in the Office of the Premier of Gauteng, the Honourable David Makhura, together with the HoD’.
According to a report released by Malegapuru William Makgoba, 94 mentally ill patients in South Africa died from starvation, dehydration and diarrhea between March and December 2016 because of a "reckless" government attempt to save money by transferring the patients from a specialized institution to care centres with "invalid licenses".