Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health has sent condolences to the family of the young doctor that was killed by a mental patient in Middelburg Hospital in Mpumalanga on Tuesday.
“It’s sad and disheartening to learn of his untimely death,” said Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Dr Bevan Goqwana.
Dr Goqwana said the doctor’s death would leave a huge gap in the health fraternity which was grappling with the shortage of healthcare workers. “There are huge shortages in the rural areas when it comes to doctors, and the department is battling in attracting doctors to work in rural areas, and his death will make other doctors to be reluctant in working in rural areas.”
He said that this and many other incidents where doctors were violated show that security needs to be beefed up at public health facilities. “The Department of Health needs to further tighten its security measures, to ensure that all health care workers feel safe.”
Dr Goqwana added that the department needed to ensure that security guards were not only at the entry points of the hospitals but inside the wards as well.
According to Dr Goqwana a focus into mentally ill patients was needed in South Africa, as many of them are roaming the streets thus causing danger to society. “The department needs to find a way in which all the mentally patients are collected from the streets and are given treatment, without infringing their rights,” he said.
The Portfolio Committee will closely monitor whether the department will beef up its security measures at health care institutions.
Enquiries:
Kanyisa Ndyondya
Cell: 083 624 0585
Tel: 021 403 8041
E-mail: kndyondya@parliament.gov.za
