Health ombud gives evidence in Esidimeni case
Health ombudsman Makgoba first witness to present evidence to an arbitration committee set up to probe the patients’ deaths
The fear of challenging authority coupled with the reluctance to be accountable led to the deaths of 118 mentally ill patients under the care of the Gauteng provincial government. This is according to Health ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba who on Monday was the first witness to present evidence to an arbitration committee set up to probe the deaths of the patients. The committee is chaired by retired Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke. Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution process method prescribed in Makgoba’s report titled "94 deaths and still counting". It comes amid demands by the affected families for financial compensation and closure. In June 2015, the Gauteng department of health moved more than 1‚400 patients from Life Esidimeni psychiatric homes to NGOs and 108 died‚ it emerged on Monday. Another 10 died as they were moved from Cullinan Care Centre‚ where they had lived for years‚ and placed in unlicensed NGOs to make space for Life Esidimeni patients. At least 118 the...
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