MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY
Overdue, over-budget mental health hospital in need of cash
The Northern Cape health department will ask the Treasury for more money to fund the building of a mental health hospital that has been in construction for 11 years and has so far cost the fiscus close to R2bn. Health Ombud Prof Malegapuru Makgoba’s report into the deaths of more than 100 psychiatric patients in Gauteng highlighted how deadly SA’s shortage of adequate mental health facilities could be to patients. The report was released in February. Northern Cape MEC for health Lebogang James Motlhaping’s spokesman, Lebogang Majaha, said on Wednesday that the department had prepared documentation motivating for the capital injection, which would be submitted to the chief procurement officer at the Treasury. Majaha said a delegation from the province had appeared before the portfolio committee on health last week, when officials from the health department — as well as those from the provincial arm of roads and public works — said they had prepared the necessary papers for the natio...
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