SAHRC to probe ‘systemic issues’

THE SA Human Rights Commission is to investigate issues affecting mentally ill patients‚ including the deaths of patients transferred from Life Esidimeni to NGOs.

This is contained in the SAHRC’s Civil and Political Rights report released yesterday. It examines “key” developments around civil and political rights in 2016-17.

“The SAHRC is preparing to undertake an investigation into the systemic issues that led to the tragic situation [deaths of patients] and will continue monitoring the Esidimeni situation‚” it reads.

The commission plans to host an investigative hearing on “key issu related to mental disability and access to healthcare in South Africa‚ which it said would require a process of identifying systemic issues and defining what role the it could play going forward. The SAHRC recommends that state ensures that all parties involved in implementing the recommendations in the ombudsman’s report are “capacitated to do so”.

The organisation will holding hearings in August on the issues affecting mentally ill patients including stigma attached to the illness and the circumstances the Life Esidimeni patients were living in.

“The hearings are not limited to Life Esidimeni‚ but will include issues related to mental disability‚” said SAHRC’s Pandelis Gregoriou.

On February 1‚ health ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba released a report stating that at least 94 psychiatric patients died after their forced removals from the Life Esidimeni homes.

It was later revealed that more than 100 patients died.

Makgoba recommended that all NGOs Caring for patients be shut down and that police investigate the NGOs where patients died.

About 700 patients moved out of Life Esidimeni healthcare centres were placed in unlicensed facilities run by the NGOs. — TMG