Gauteng Health to probe alleged ill-treatment of former MEC

The Gauteng provincial health department is to institute an investigation into the alleged ill-treatment by staff at Soweto’s Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital of former transport MEC Kgabisi Mosunkutu yesterday.

Mosunkutu, accompanied by his wife Nonqaba, visited the hospital as a follow-up after he suffered a stroke in July.

A doctor who dealt with him referred him to a physiotherapist but the physiotherapist allegedly refused to treat him, despite the doctor’s recommendation.

His wife expressed disappointment that her husband was treated with disrespect, saying the hospital’s referral policy should have been followed, which required Mosunkutu to go to a hospital near his home.

Nonqaba said she did not ask for her husband to be given special treatment, just to be treated with respect.

Yesterday, the department’s spokesperson, Lesemang Matuka, denied Mosunkutu was ill-treated. He said the former member of the executive council was referred for treatment to South Rand Hospital because it was close to his home in Kibler Park.

But confusion occurred when a screening physiotherapist, who was unaware that the patient was referred to South Rand, attended to him.

Nonqaba asked the physiotherapist and later a chief physiotherapist for her husband to be treated at Baragwanath since she worked there. She said she did not want to go to South Rand.

But this was rejected by a supervisor, who said the referral policy should be applied.

Mosunkutu was left alone for some time after he was picked up and put back in his wheelchair by his wife, who was assisted by a hospital staff member. The staff member and a supervisor came back to remove him from the passage and wheeled him to the reception area.

Chris Hani Baragwanath acting CEO Dr Richard Lebethe said the incident would be investigated.

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