The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused Tembisa Hospital of discharging patients ahead of their scheduled dates due to bed shortages at the embattled hospital.
DA's Gauteng constituency head Refiloe Nt’sekhe has claimed that a 65-year old terminal patient from Tembisa was discharged while she was still ill.
"Tembisa Hospital is discharging sick patients because of a severe shortage of beds, putting their lives in danger. Gogo Mantoa Lettia Mokoena, age 65, was discharged from the hospital while she was severely ill,“ Nt’sekhe said in a statement.
“Her family alleges that she did not have bed sores before her admission to the hospital. The DA has received photos from her family that expose her septic bed sores and her current state.”
The statement by the DA comes a week after The Star reported that another wheelchair-bound pensioner died shortly after being discharged from a hospital, allegedly to make space for other patients.
Gogo Dimakatso Ndou had been briefly admitted to Tembisa Hospital after spending hours in a waiting queue at the casualty ward with other patients.
The DA said this kind of ill-treatment of patients was unconstitutional because patients' lives were being put at risk due to the reported shortage of beds.
"It is saddening that sick patients, particularly the elderly are being discharged while still ill and how they are treated at this hospital,“ Nt’sekhe said.
"They are either waiting in long queues at casualty or in cold corridors for a bed to sleep in, or they are being discharged without receiving adequate medical care.
"This level of incompetence and negligence at Tembisa Hospital is concerning and is happening solely because of the shortage of beds in the hospital. The staff is not coping with the influx of patients; the situation is now out of control.“
The DA said the people of Tembisa were suffering enough due to the corruption at the hospital, while the Gauteng department of health was making endless promises instead of taking proper action.
The DA said it would forward photos of Gogo Mokoena to the Gauteng member of the executive council (MEC) for health Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, so she could see for herself the suffering the patient had endured at the hands of the hospital.
“The DA has for the longest time demanded that the Gauteng department of health ease the pressure at Tembisa Hospital by reopening Kempton Park Hospital,“ Nt’sekhe said.
"We again demand that the Gauteng Health MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, commit and outline a specific timeline as to when her department will begin refurbishing the Kempton Park Hospital and where the budget will come from.“
The Gauteng health department had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The Star