Natural causes, not food caused death of patient

THE department of health has confirmed that a 45year-old mentally-ill patient at Tower Psychiatric Hospital in Fort Beaufort, who died three days after he and other 36 patients were treated for food poisoning, died of natural causes.

Eastern Cape department of health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo dismissed earlier media reports that the man had died as a result of being served food that was beyond its expiry date.

“The patient died after his condition suddenly changed and a doctor was called but by the time he attended to him he unfortunately had died. A postmortem was done by the forensic pathologist and the finding is that he died of natural causes.

“The department regrets his passing on and we are trying to contact his next of kin.”

Kupelo said the hospital housed a maximum of 400 patients but had a current population of 334. Kupelo said the man was admitted on November 30 2015 to the facility’s Long-term E Ward and was sharing the section with 31 other patients.

“We have taken samples of food and water to establish the cause of the diarrhoea,” said Kupelo.

Kupelo also added that the hospital conducts regular sample testing to ensure the quality of food and water.

Eastern Cape police spokesman Khaya Tonjeni said an inquest docket has been opened following the death of the man. —