Health sector unions have responded to the alleged suicide of a psychiatric patient at the troubled Thelle Mogoerane hospital in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg.
The incident follows the deaths of six babies who contracted Klebsiella pneumonia in the hospital’s neo-natal unit. The hospital has been experiencing serious challenges linked to a shortage of staff and overcrowding.
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) spokesperson Simphiwe Gada has accused hospital management of not showing interest in solving the institution’s problems.
Gada says, “There was a community march on Monday, protesting against the deaths in the hospital. What needs to be noted by the public, which we have been raising as organised labour, is the shortage of staff in the hospital and also the lack of bed capacity. In this psych ward where this patient committed this suicide – it’s meant to only house 20 patients, but as I’m talking to you there’s about 43 patients. There’s only 4 nurses on duty and there’s also a part-time psychiatric doctor.
