Gauteng’s Makhura hits at ‘tragic and ill-fated’ transfer of mental patients to NGOs
Gauteng premier says people responsible for the transfer of mental patients to unlicensed NGOs tried to hide the facts from him
The decision to transfer mental health patients from the facilities of Life Esidimeni to unlicensed nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) was not made in consultation with the provincial executive council, Gauteng premier David Makhura said on Monday. His statement came amid calls for criminal charges against former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and others in the health department responsible for the transfer of the patients. Opposition parties also called on Makhura to step down and asked how he could not have known what was happening. In his state-of-the-province address in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg, Makhura said|: "The executive council and I would never have approved a plan to outsource mental health [care], a primary responsibility of the state… We would never have supported the decision to outsource this to NGOs, whether they would have been licensed or not." But he did not say how in the first place the patients were moved to Life Esidimeni, owned by Life Healthcare, the ...
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