Patient Found Dead at Dr George Mukhari Hospital, Health Department Confirm Woman Committed Suicide

• A female patient was found dead by nurses inside a bathroom at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital
• The Department of Health confirmed that the patient had committed suicide, and an investigation was opened
• Gauteng's Department of Health have promised to improve care to prevent such incidents from happening again

GAUTENG – The province’s health department is once more in the spotlight after a female patient was found dead at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa.

The 36-year-old patient was found dead in a bathroom. The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has since confirmed that she committed suicide.

Nurses discover dead patient

Khutso Rabothata, the acting GDoH Head of Communication, explained that nurses found the patient unresponsive in the bathroom.

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One of the nurses noticed that the bathroom was locked, and after knocking several times, she asked another nurse to help force it open.

"Despite immediate resuscitate efforts, she was declared dead," Rabothata said.

Staff to undergo counselling

Rabothata added that the staff who were affected by the traumatic experience were receiving counselling.

He also extended condolences to the woman's family on behalf of the department. Police are currently investigating the matter, and the department has promised to do better.

"We remain committed to compassionate care and preventing such incidents from occurring in future," Rabothata concluded.

Contact SADAG if you need help

Are you, or someone you know, contemplating suicide? If you are feeling anxious, depressed or suicidal, you can always contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.

You can contact them on 0800 21 22 23 (8 am to 8 pm), 0800 12 13 14 (8 pm to 8 am), or via SMS on 31393. You can also visit the website at https://www.sadag.org.

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MEC for Health criticised by netizens

Gauteng’s healthcare has been in the spotlight recently after Tom London’s viral video about the Helen Joseph Hospital.

London exposed the terrible conditions within the hospital, but the Gauteng Health MEC didn’t agree with him.

Many South Africans accused the minister of downplaying the concerns, Briefly News recently reported.

Source: Briefly News