By Dr Angelique Coetzee
Findings by health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba about the conditions which lead to the death of Covid-19 patient Shonisani Lethole point to a massive failure in the healthcare system in the country.
We, the South African Medical Association (Sama) will seek an urgent meeting with the minister of health and other role players to discuss much-needed reform of health care.
Prof Makgoba’s report details how Lethole had not been fed for more than 100 hours while at the Tembisa Hospital. Mr Lethole tweeted the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, about his situation before he died, leading to the investigation and subsequent report by Prof Makgoba.
In his report, Prof Makgoba says Tembisa Hospital should never have been designated as a Covid-19 hospital, and that disciplinary action be taken against those who he said misled the then MEC for Health, Dr Bandile Masuku, about its readiness and the general state of the facility.
Sadly, this is a situation repeated in many other hospitals throughout the country and the management of this hospital should be held to account.
The staff-to-patient ratio should be investigated. Adequate support to doctors and nurses should be given to ensure that they are able to perform their duties. The hospital would have been overwhelmed during the pandemic and the necessary support should have been given.
We cannot continually be looking at these types of incidents as being isolated. We have reported many times about similar conditions elsewhere and about the need for urgent intervention. Unless this intervention occurs, and rapidly, we fear another case such as this will occur.
While Mr Lethole was able to use Twitter to alert authorities to his plight, many others don’t have access to this technology and will be suffering in silence.
Prof Makgoba’s report must serve as a catalyst for reform for the benefit of all citizens; the findings and recommendations must be the basis for meaningful change.
Without that reform happening, and without appropriate action taken against those who deemed Tembisa Hospital fit to serve as a Covid-19 facility, and those who failed in their professional duties, Mr Lethole’s death will become nothing more than a statistic.
Dr Angelique Coetzee is the Chairperson of Sama.
The Star