Search for 21 patients ‘will go on’

The search will continue for 21 mentally ill patients who went missing after being moved from Life Esidimeni to unregistered NGOs, Gauteng health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa says.

Ramokgopa said on Tuesday that no stone would be left unturned in accounting for the missing patients.

She called on the public to assist the police in tracing the patients. “The department is determined to make headway in accounting for the remaining 21 discharged patients from Life Esidimeni [during] 2015 [and] 2016‚” Ramokgopa said.

More than 140 patients died following the move to illequipped and unlicensed NGOs in the province.

Ramakgopa said the department had managed to transfer 750 patients from the unlicensed NGOs.

“However the difficulties in finding the 21 patients are due to poor record-keeping during the project, which left the department with very little and unverified information.

“We are concerned about the status quo and call on citizens to co-operate with police to assist with the location of these patients.

“We will continue to work with all stakeholders to make sure that all are accounted for.”

At first, she said, about 100 patients had been unaccounted for but, after investigations incorporating home affairs‚ the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa)‚ the department of social development and the police‚ many of them had been found.

Some were already back in the care of their families.

Of the missing 21‚ Ramakgopa said: “We will spare no effort to close this chapter on this tragic episode.” –