Claims made that people suspected of having Covid-19 are being forcibly detained
The DA says the forced isolation of patients will discourage those possibly infected with Covid-19 from coming forward for testing.
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The Democratic Alliance in North West says it has been informed that people suspected of contracting Covid-19 are being forcibly detained at the Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp while their test results are pending.
According to party spokesperson Gavin Edwards, a person was admitted to the designated Covid-19 hospital while awaiting the results of tests.
“His request to return home and self-isolate was met with forceful resistance by the hospital staff and he was threatened by security to cooperate.”
“We were also informed that about 10 persons suspected of contracting Covid-19 have been kept involuntarily in a single ward at Tshepong Hospital, with tests results outstanding for more than 5 days,” he said.
The DA is calling on the health department to clarify the matter of forced detention.
“The regulations surrounding forced isolation are quite clear and it must be implemented only in the instance where a patient has indeed tested positive for Covid-19 and has been identified as a flight risk after a proper assessment has been made or where the suspected Covid-19 patient is not able to self-isolate.”
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