Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says government will act on the Health Ombud’s findings into two Gauteng patient deaths, prepared to establish a tribunal if any parties dispute the report.
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Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says government will continue acting on the Health Ombud’s findings into two patient deaths in Gauteng and is prepared to establish a tribunal if any parties dispute the report.
This follows the release of findings by the Health Ombud, Professor Taole Mokoena, into two patient deaths in Gauteng, which exposed serious lapses in care, governance and patient safety in both public and private facilities.
The investigations found that psychiatric patient Lerato Mohlamme died after a fire in a seclusion unit at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, where failures included the improper admission process, the withholding of food and medication, and inadequate fire safety measures.
A separate investigation examined the death of a newborn at Netcare Femina Hospital, where concerns were raised about the standard of care provided in the neonatal unit.
Motsoaledi said while those implicated have the right to challenge the Ombud’s findings, this would not stop the state from acting.
“So people always take issues on review but the fact that they were found guilty does not mean we will stop doing what we have to do until such time that a retired judge or magistrate passes a verdict that there’s something wrong with the Health Ombud report as long as there’s nothing like that we will take appropriate action and report to the ombud,” he said.
He said the law allows for a tribunal to be established, chaired by a retired judge or magistrate and supported by medical experts, to review the Ombud’s findings if there are claims the process was flawed.
Motsoaledi also stressed that some of the conduct identified in the report could not be blamed on infrastructure or resource constraints.
“Refusing, withholding food for no one, I mean for somebody, has got nothing to do with infrastructure. It's just outright inhuman for any person who is taking care of anybody,” he said.
He added that withholding medication was “a cardinal sin” and said such matters would be referred to professional bodies for disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the provincial government had already begun implementing corrective measures following the draft report and would act where other institutions were unable to do so.
“I share the frustration and the pain of the families,” Lesufi said, adding that the matter could not be left unattended where individuals had been identified.
He said the affected psychiatric ward at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital had already been completely overhauled. “So there's a new ward now compared to the ward when the incident happened,” he said.
Lesufi added that broader interventions were under way to address infrastructure challenges, including efforts to reduce overcrowding and prioritise upgrades at the hospital.
He said the incident should serve as a turning point for improvements across Gauteng’s health facilities. “As a leader of the institution, I can't continue to point fingers. I need to act,” he said.
ActionSA Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Kgosi Letlape welcomed the findings, saying they confirmed long-standing concerns about the state of South Africa’s healthcare system.
“South Africa’s public healthcare sector is in a state of deep and undeniable crisis – the findings of the Health Ombud confirm what patients, healthcare workers, and communities have been saying for years,” Letlape said.
He said the report exposed “a stark and unacceptable disparity in the quality of care”, adding that “access to dignified, safe and effective healthcare remains unequal, inconsistent and in many cases dangerously inadequate”.
Letlape commended the Ombud’s work, describing it as “a thorough and courageous report that lays bare the systematic failures within our public health system”.
He said the findings should serve as a wake-up call, warning that “it is no longer possible to deny the depth of the crisis… and urgent intervention can no longer be delayed”.
He called for immediate action at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, saying mental healthcare inpatient facilities “must be closed without delay” and patients relocated to facilities such as Sterkfontein Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital until conditions improve.
Letlape also criticised persistent inequalities in the healthcare system, saying failures in the sector echoed those of the past. “Thirty years into democracy, it is unacceptable that the inequalities of the past persist,” he said, adding that disparities between hospitals remained evident.
He further raised concerns about staffing, saying junior staff were not adequately supported and that “professional standards cannot be maintained in understaffed systems”, despite unemployed healthcare workers.
Letlape called on government to escalate its response, urging the minister to “formally declare a national public healthcare crisis across the country”.
He warned that “the tragedy of the Life Esidimeni tragedy remains a painful reminder of what happens when systemic failures are ignored”.
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