Tembisa Hospital endangers sick patients by discharging them early due to bed shortage

21 November 2022

Tembisa Hospital is discharging sick patients because of a severe shortage of beds putting their lives in danger.

Gogo Mantoa Lettia Mokoena aged 65 was discharged from the hospital while she was severely ill. Her family alleges that she did not have bed soars before her admission to the hospital. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has received photos from her family which expose her septic bed sores and her current state.

It is saddening that sick patients, particularly the elderly are being discharged while still ill and how they are treated at this hospital. 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.

While the people of Tembisa and surrounding areas suffer, the Gauteng Department of Health is busy making endless promises rather than taking proper action.

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. 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 DA will forward the MEC the images of Gogo Mokoena to see for herself the state she was discharged in, and she must hold those responsible to account.

The DA will continue to fight to ensure that the residents of Tembisa, Kempton Park and neighbouring suburbs have access to quality healthcare services.

Issued by Refiloe Nt’sekhe, DA Gauteng Constituency Head for Tembisa South, 21 November 2022