Health chiefs get reprieve

STILL SEVEN UNIDENTIFIED BODIES Court orders disciplinary hearings must wait until appeal of ombud’s findings on tragedy.

The disciplinary cases of two top Gauteng health department officials have been put on hold pending the finalisation of their appeal against the health ombudsman’s findings on the deaths of patients transferred from Life Esidimeni to unsuitable NGOs, the Democratic Alliance says.

DA MPL Jack Bloom said yesterday this was revealed by Gauteng health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa in a written reply to questions in the Gauteng legislature.

“Ramokgopa says that Dr Barney Selebano (head of department) and Dr Makgabo Manamela (director: mental health) have been charged with seven and eight charges respectively, including fraud, misleading the provincial legislature and the public, gross negligence, gross dereliction of duties, breaches of laws, and bringing the department into disrepute,” he said.

However, “the High Court in Pretoria has ordered the disciplinary hearing should be put on hold pending the finalisation of the appeal process at national level against the health ombud’s recommendations”.

Bloom said he was dismayed by the delay in the appeal process and the disciplinary cases.

Meanwhile, costs are mounting as the two officials were being paid while on suspension – Selebano had been paid R821 078 and Manamela had received R491 965 from February 1 to September 30. Furthermore, R1.145 million had so far been spent on consultants and legal costs in this matter.

“I am also concerned that the police investigation is so slow and that 21 post-mortem reports have not been completed as disclosed in the current Esidimeni arbitration hearings,” he said.

The intended result of the arbitraton hearings is to effect redress and compensation to the relatives of the deceased patients, but real justice would only be achieved when the perpetrators were charged and convicted in court, he said.

They should include former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu, who “is the prime person to blame for the whole tragedy”, Bloom said.

“I question the competence of the investigators who have been so slow in this matter. How can it be that there are still seven unidentified bodies lying in a mortuary and 59 untraced patients, and we still do not know exactly how many died?

“Every effort should be made to complete all aspects of the investigation and disciplinary process,” he added.

On Friday, it emerged that the number of mental patients who died after the relocation from Life Esidimeni Healthcare to 27 NGOs had risen to 141. Gauteng health department acting head Ernest Kenoshi told the arbitration hearing that 23 patients had died between February and September.

“Subsequent to February, after the health ombudsman’s report was released, more deaths happened. So the number of deaths to date, adding the 118, is 141,” he said.

In February, Gauteng premier David Makhura suspended Selebano in the wake of recommendations by the health ombudsman, Malegapuru Makgoba, following the death of 118 psychiatric patients in the ill-equipped facilities of various NGOs.

Mahlangu resigned as the saga was unfolding.

At the time, Makgoba’s report found that 94 mentally ill patients who were transferred from Esidimeni to unlicensed care centres died of causes that included neglect and starvation. The death toll figure rose over time as he uncovered more information, bringing the number of deaths to 118. He revealed this figure while testifying in the inquiry earlier this week.

The department said the reasons for the termination of the Esidimeni contract was to cut costs and put the contract out to tender so that other service providers could come in. – ANA

Charges include fraud and breaches of law.