BREAKING: Over 60 Esidimeni patients still missing
Esidimeni nightmare far from over.
Jack Bloom MPL and DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC opened a missing persons case at the Johannesburg Central Police Station on Monday (29 January). The case relates to the 62 former Life Esidimeni patients who have not been accounted for yet.
Among those missing are 43 men and 19 women.
“I submitted a list of the 62 patients that the Gauteng Health Department had sent to some mental health NGOs last week to assist in finding them. The list can be found here,” Bloom said in an official statement.
According to him, the full names of 55 patients were given, but there are 35 with ID numbers only, although dates of birth are given in all cases. In three cases only a first name is known and in another case only the surname. There is no name at all for three of the missing patients.
Read more: Former alleged Esidimeni patient speaks
“I have requested police involvement as far too little has been done to publicise and track down those who have been missing more than 18 months since the Esidimeni tragedy unfolded. Surely there should be some photographs of the missing patients that would assist in finding them.
“It is known that disability grants are being collected for some of them, so why have they not been tracked down or possible fraud detected in this matter? I suspect that many of the missing patients could be dead as they would not be able to survive long without decent care. This could push the total Esidimeni death toll to more than 200 patients.
“Every effort should be made to return those who are still missing to treatment, or find out how they died and who is responsible for their deaths.
The Esidimeni nightmare will not be over until every one of the patients is accounted for.”
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