The decision of Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke in the Life Esidimeni arbitration is an important landmark following more than two years of resistance, negotiation, confrontation, heart break and horror, writes Section27 attorney.
Read More » Op-ed: What you didn’t see at the Esidimeni arbitration
Following a litany of lies, "murderous" decisions, agonising deaths and torturous transfers, an amount of R1.2-million will now be paid to each of the families affected by the Gauteng Department of Health's decision to move mentally ill patients out of Life Esidimeni facilities.
Read More » Esidimeni: families each to get R1,2-million
Ninety nine percent of children involved in a Soweto study have been exposed to extreme forms of violence at some point in their lives, according to results from the Birth to Twenty Plus study published in the South African Medical Journal on Wednesday.
Read More » The violent lives of Soweto’s childrenFamilies of the 140-plus psychiatric patients who died after being moved from Life Esidimeni facilities to irregularly registered non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have suffered so much that some themselves are now dying.
Read More » Life Esidimeni: Untold consequences of trauma
The first day of former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s testimony at the Life Esidimeni arbitration hearings has left families disgruntled, angry and with more questions than answers.
Read More » Life Esidimeni families ‘angry’ as Mahlangu takes the stand
Postnatal depression doesn’t only threaten the health of parents. Failing to bond with babies in their crucial first months of life can predispose a child to range of mental health and developmental problems. HEALTH-E NEWS’ Amy Green finds out why South African parents, especially mothers, are depressed and what it could take to lift their moods through connecting with their new-borns.
Read More » When a ‘bundle of joy’ becomes a mental struggleHere, Health-e has only profiled 10 former Life Esidimeni (LE) patients, and the circumstances around their deaths, but it provides a glimpse into the dignity denied to both mental health care users and their families before, during and after the fatal move.
Read More » Life Esidimeni: A snapshot of the tragedy
Severely mentally ill patients are more likely to suffer from diabetes, be obese and have a higher risk of dying young than the general population. Research is increasingly linking diet to mental health. And, reports Amy Green for HEALTH-E NEWS on the eve of World Diabetes Day, sugar is a potent but much-over-looked culprit.
Read More » Sugar and mental health: What’s the link?No action has been taken against 11 health officials implicated in Esidimeni crisis, former Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu who made the decision that led to 141 deaths remains illusive and the “bankrupt” Gauteng Health Department is currently unable to fund a compensation ruling.
Read More » Esidimeni compensation likely unaffordable to Gauteng health department
LIMPOPO - Families who refuse to look after mentally ill relatives, stigmatisation of the issue by communities, minimal patient visits and a shortage of water are plaguing the running of the Hayani Specialised Psychiatric Hospital, outside Thohoyandou.
Read More » Neglect of mentally ill patients a serious concern
A family member of a patient who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy has suggested amnesty be given to implicated non-governmental organisation (NGO) officials in the interests of “getting answers”.
Read More » ‘Truth over justice’: Amnesty suggested for Esidimeni NGOs
Day three of the Life Esidimeni alternative dispute resolution was fraught with frustrations and characterised by dodging, vague answers and unsatisfactory witness testimony.
Read More » Esidimeni day 3: MEC Mahlangu ‘difficult to reach’Establishing the infrastructure needed to take proper full-time care of mentally ill patients is an expensive exercise, and should never have been regarded as an area where costs could be cut.
Read More » Health Ministry not informed about Esidimeni transfers
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY: Lack of food security is driving depression, anxiety and suicidal behaviour in poor communities
Read More » How hunger erodes mental health
The latest Global Burden of Disease study data shows that South Africa continues to battle with HIV, road injuries and violence as well as diseases related to obesity.
Read More » ‘Rapidly increasing’ life expectancy but disease threatens progress
