EDITORIAL COMMENT :

REVELATIONS that the elderly residents of Zwide’s Ekuphumleni Old Age Home have virtually nothing left to eat because of bureaucratic befuddlement, should have those whose job it is to avoid such a startling scenario hanging their heads in shame.

It beggars belief that staff who are having to ensure the good care and safety of those in their charge, should be left in such an impossible position that they cannot even guarantee them a decent meal.

There appears to be a string of reasons as to why funding wasn’t made available – mostly to do with a tangle of administrative red tape – but surely this should simply be fast-tracked when the circumstances are so dire.

It clearly illustrates that the ongoing debacle over scores of frail care patients relying on state-funded care in Nelson Mandela Bay has had little impact on the authorities when it comes to similarly vulnerable citizens.

The plight of many of the ageing, frail, unwell and disabled in our communities countrywide has been highlighted in the past year because of the tragedy and gross neglect that played out in Gauteng which led to the death of more than 100 mentally ill patients.

The ramifications of recklessly moving those people from a hospital and into the hands of NGOs which were hopelessly ill-equipped to care for them, to cut costs, have been huge and underlined the government’s failure to prioritise the welfare of those who need the most protection.

The case of the fate of the close to 240 frail care patients in the Bay which is now before the high court has also driven home the imperative need for Social Development officials to do their homework when it comes to how their well-being is best handled, rather than making rash decisions which could have disastrous consequences.

The warning bells are ringing and it is beholden on Bhisho to heed them.