Health Ombud reveals appalling state of Northern Cape hospitals

The Health Ombud has released a damning report on the state of the Northern Cape Mental Hospital and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital following the death of two psychiatric patients; and the immobile state of another patient who remains bedridden.

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi called for a probe into the deaths in October last year.

Health Ombud Professor Taole Mokoena’s report has painted a grim picture on the state of healthcare at both facilities, concluding that the patients who died could have been saved if proper clinical care been offered.

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

“Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital was found to have poor governance and systemic lack of leadership and poor management at all levels, unpreparedness for emergency cases, crumbling infrastructure, poor pharmacy and medicine control management, shortage of staff, poor quality assurance management, non-compliance with patient record keeping and poor laundry services. Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital was found to be experiencing critical staff shortage across the board; lack of oversight with nursing supervision; communication breakdown of reporting systems, non-compliance with guidelines on principles of good record keeping and overcrowding at the hospital emergency centre – aggravated by the absence of a district or regional hospital.”

Meanwhile, Motsoaledi has expressed disappointment following the findings of the report.

Motsoaledi says prompt action is needed to ensure such tragedies do not happen again.

“I am more alarmed to find that even clinical management is poor by doctors who are trained. Even the doctors did not do their jobs. I can’t imagine a doctor finding a medically ill patient with pneumonia and referred him back to the hospital without treating the pneumonia, that is not right. Now what do we make of this because all doctors and nurses are trained in the same institutions?”

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-Additional reporting by Nonhlanhla Ntshingila