41 Assaults on hospital staff in Gauteng last year

25 May 2020

Forty-one health staff in Gauteng public hospitals were assaulted last year, the vast majority by psychiatric patients.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Masuku “in almost all the cases reported the perpetrator was a patient and the majority were psychiatric patients ...The main reason identified is that the patients are most times confused and do not know what exactly they are doing ... 95% of assaults are by patients with a Psychiatric Diagnosis."

George Mukhari Hospital had the most assaults - there were 10 attacks, including one where three security guards were bitten by a psychiatric patient.

The Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto had 8 attacks, 6 of which were perpetrated by psychiatric patients. It is very disappointing that this hospital has still not taken effective security measures as a psychiatric patient allegedly murdered another patient there recently.

Other health facilities that suffered attacks on staff include the following:

Tembisa Hospital - 5 injuries reported

Mamelodi Hospital - 5 injuries reported

Leratong Hospital - 1 human bite injury

Bertha Gxowa - 1 assault reported

Johannesburg clinics - 3 assaults recorded

It is really shameful that following the Life Esidimeni tragedy the facilities for psychiatric patients in our hospitals are still inadequate to prevent harm both to themselves and to others.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 25 May 2020