"My sister would still be alive if was in a safe place and caring environment"said Nxumalo

Johannesburg - Hiking through the neat, clean hospital rooms at the Clinix Selby Park Hospital on Friday Christine Nxumalo couldn’t help but think of her sister, Virginia Machpelah.

“I tried explaining to matron that if this was done for my sister maybe things would not be as difficult as it’s right now, if she was well taken off and being taking through this process and again been in a safer place,caring environment,only then maybe my sister  would be alive today as we speak.”

In Friday, health officials, under the supervision of Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, transferred the first group of 27 surviving mental health patients, former residents of Life Esidimeni, to the well-equipped Joburg hospital.

For Nxumalo, it was a world away from Precious Angels, the unlicensed NGO where her sister died.

In August last year, Nxumalo found out her sister had died six weeks after Virginia was moved without her knowledge from a Life Esidimeni facility to the NGO. After a trip to the funeral home, Nxumalo discovered eight other patients from the same NGO had died.

Motsoaledi said the hospital, which has the capacity to house 300 patients, was licensed to care for mentally ill patients.

There are 273 more patients who will be transported from next week to the hospital.

And because of the extensive examinations that had to be done on each patient, the process would not be rushed to avoid the same tragic outcome.

“Every day we will be bringing groups until we are finished,” he said.

In June, the Gauteng Health Department removed nearly 2000 patients from Life Esidimeni facilities, after it ended its contract with the Life Hospital Group to save R200 million a year.

Now, the government will spend R46 million to house the 300 mentally ill patients at the hospital, in line with recommendations by health ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba’s hard-hitting report into the Life Esidimeni tragedy.

Nxumalo said that at first, the patients were anxious when they arrived. “Imagine these are our most vulnerable people, who have been through hell.

“You could see their relief when they were treated with care, in a safe new home, with people who were not shouting at them, but were calm.

“From the hell they’ve come from, you could see the difference in the way the nurses approach them. The nurses knew what to do, how to receive them. It’s a breath of fresh air.

“Some of the patients literally went up to their beds and climbed in. That’s how comfortable they felt."

Makgoba’s report detailed how 100 patients, including Virginia, had perished from starvation, dehydration and neglect. Not one of the 27 NGOs where they were transferred to were licensed to operate.

Motsoaledi said this first move was done in line with protocols that were supposed to be followed during the Life Esidimeni transfer, and that all the patients’ families were consulted.

“This is how it should have been done. The key issue here is that we ensure compliance and that norms and standards are followed.”

Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa said health care costs should never be an issue.

Ramokgopa could not reveal the names of the other health care facilities who were licensed to also receive patients.

The remaining patients, she said, were either at home or in government hospitals, but when they are discharged they would be transferred to verified facilities.

“I had to say to the doctors, though I didn’t need to: ‘Look can you please speed up the process, it’s getting cold and I don’t mean to be rude, but remember these people have been through hell.’ They told me they understood.

“There are times I struggle to get out of bed, but then I think of the bigger picture. You’ve just got to keep moving. There are a lot of other people to worry about.

“I’m sad that I lost my sister and I will never get over it, but her death, and all the others, must never be in vain. Mental health can never be ignored again,” Ramokgopa said.