Shonisani Lethole, the man who tweeted about his treatment while on a bed at Tembisa Hospital on the East Rand, was not given food for over four days while at the health facility.
This is the finding of Health Ombud Professor Malegapuru Makgoba, which he made when he released the report into Lethole’s treatment at the hospital in June last year.
Makgoba said the hospital failed dismally to provide any proof that they fed Lethole. He said the document provided as proof that Lethole did eat was invalid. It did not have his name, the time he ate and the actual diet prescribed for him, he said. They also withheld information from the investigators.
“They gave us a piece of paper that is not signed [and] that doesn’t tell you what Lethole was eating,” Makgoba said.
He said investigations showed that Lethole did not get food for 100 hours and 54 minutes.
On June 25, Lethole, who was a patient at the hospital, turned to Twitter, tagging health minister Zweli Mkhize, as he complained about not being fed for two days. Lethole died on June 29, just days after his tweet.
Mkhize initiated that there be an investigation by the Health Ombud on how Lethole was treated at the hospital.
Makgoba said he found that Lethole arrived at the hospital on June 23 but only saw a medical doctor on June 26 despite arriving with Covid-19 symptoms.
Makgoba recommended that:
• the MEC for health in Gauteng must appoint an independent audit process for management and staff, review admission process, corporate government, climate survey of staff and patients;
• the accounting officer must be taken to a disciplinary process; and
• Gauteng department of health and Tembisa Hospital must take 19 staff members – medical doctors and nursing staff – to disciplinary hearing for whatever they have done.
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