Siyabonga Sithole|Updated2 hours agoLesufi apologises to family of psychiatric patient who died from burns at Dr George Mukhari Hospital

The Health Ombud reveals patient safety lapses, citing procedural errors, poor training, and inadequate infrastructure that contributed to the death of a psychiatric patient. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufihas apologised to the family ofa psychiatric patient who died at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in 2024. This comes as the Health Ombud, Professor Taole Mokoena, during a media briefing on Monday, pointed out a series of irregularities that led to the death of a psychiatric patient, 35-year-old Lerato Mohlamme, who succumbed to severe burns at the hospital in 2024.

Mohlamme died in a fire at the hospital, while 17 other patients were evacuated from the ward. These failures included clinical safety failures, non-compliance with legal requirements, excessive use of mechanical restraints, and withholding of medication and food, which are some of the findings made by the Health Ombud on the circumstances that led to Mohlamme’s death. Mokoena said serious procedural, clinical, and ethical failures were identified in the care of Mohlamme, adding that the patient’s admission process did not follow the prescribed requirements.

“The patient was not properly searched before she was committed to the seclusion room.The required safety procedures were not followed during her seclusion process. The seclusion room was poorly located and far from the nurses’ rooms and lacked adequate monitoring systems or devices,” he stated. The required safety procedures were not followed during her seclusion process.