Gauteng Health to investigate burial of mentally ill patients
The Gauteng Department of Health says it has been informed of the burial of mentally ill patients by an NGO after they were moved from Life Esidimeni.
Departmental spokesperson Thabo Masebe says they will have to investigate the matter.
"Only after the investigation will be in a position to comment," says Masebe.
The DA's Jack Bloom says he has been informed that an NGO privately buried the bodies of psychiatric patients who had been transferred to them.
"Ms Karina Morale, who runs the Tshepong NGO in Pretoria, has admitted that her organization buried six of the ten patients who died there," says Bloom.
According to Bloom, Morale claims that the Gauteng Health Department knows that they gave them private burials rather than pauper burials so that they could show any family members where they were buried.
Bloom says Morale, however, won't reveal where they were buried.
"Morale claims they died of natural causes but the families could not be contacted because the patients came to Tshepong from Esidimeni without patient files. It is highly irregular and suspicious that private burials were done as it is usually the state's responsibility, and it would be illegal if done without a valid death certificate," says Bloom.