Anyone know where Roger was sent to?

Woman fears for ailing cousin ‘missing’ after confusion of mental patients’ move to care of NGOs

SHIRLEY Mattera can’t bring herself to go to any government mortuaries yet. She is hoping her cousin, who has a rare and fatal degenerative disease, is alive. And safe. Somewhere.

“Wherever he is, I will find the means to take him from there, even if I have to hire someone to look after him at home,” Mattera says resolutely.

Roger Paul Fernhold was a patient at Life Esidimeni, as was his sister, Joanthea, who died in August last year.

Like Joanthea, Fernhold has Huntington disease, a progressive brain disorder that runs through their family.

Mattera visited her cousin at Life Esidimeni in May and thought he was still there. She was “horrified” to read nearly 2 000 mentally ill patients had been moved to NGOs across Gauteng in June and 36 had died.

“Nobody told me my cousin was being moved.

“No one knows where my cousin was sent to. They say they have no records, that the patients brought their own re- cords.

“I’m worried he is not taking his medication. A lot of people don’t know what Huntington disease is – they may think he is a mental patient, but he is not.”

In June, the Gauteng Department of Health ended its long-standing contract with Life Esidimeni, a private facility for the severely mentally ill, to cut costs and lessen dependence on mental health institutions.

Calls have been made for Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s head since she re- vealed the deaths this week.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has asked the health ombudsman to probe the deaths.

SECTION27 says: “The department was repeatedly warned by families, experts and… stakeholders that such results would occur should it ter minate its contract with Life Esidimeni before capacitating community care centres.

“The department chose to ignore the warnings, to shirk its responsibility to consult stakeholders and family members, and to resist in court ef- forts to protect users.”

The department has not responded.

SECTION27 says there could be more deaths unless urgent steps are taken to improve conditions. Christine Nxumalo’s sister died after “stimulation therapy” at Precious Angels, which reports have said was registered in June as an NGO. Eight other patients died there.

Nxumalo has joined SECTION27, the SA Depression and Anxiety Group, the SA Society of Psychiatrists and the SA Federation for Mental Health in demanding the police seek written undertakings to initiate inquests on the deaths of all other former residents of Life Esidimeni.

Life Healthcare was searching for Fernhold’s records yesterday.

Its chief operating executive for health care services, Dr Nilesh Patel, says it did “everything in our power” to ensure a smooth transition for patients and their families.

Lucas Mogoerane’s schizophrenic younger brother, Christopher, 56, died two weeks after being moved to a care facility near Midrand.

“Because of the trauma and the conditions, he was not taking his medication. There are no nurses there, no care workers, no security. He cried when he saw me. We warned the MEC,” Mogoerane said.

Marthe Viljoen, of the SA Federation for Mental Health, said: “A lot of the NGOs had told the department they didn’t have the capacity to take these patients. Suddenly new NGOs came forward that hadn’t been in existence before… If the NGOs were negligent, we want them to be held responsible.”