PATIENT CARE CONCERNS TAKEN TO HUMAN RIGHTS BODY

Mitchells Plain cases spark outrage

- MURRAY SWART

A MITCHELLS Plain pastor says he is preparing to escalate concerns about patient care at Mitchells Plain District Hospital to the South African Human Rights Commission, in a move he hopes will bring accountability and broader attention to the experiences of patients in the public healthcare system.

Reverend Oscar Bougardt said he plans to lodge a formal complaint today, following what he describes as troubling experiences involving his brother, a cardiac patient, and family friend Noerisah Sonday, whose case recently drew public attention.

Bougardt claims his brother, who has previously undergone open-heart surgery, became ill during a visit to the hospital and was left sitting in a chair for two days without receiving adequate medical attention.

"We've had enough of this. The next step for us is to take the Department of Health to the Human Rights Commission to lodge a complaint," he said.

He said the decision to approach the Commission is not only about his family’s experience.

“We are doing it not only for ourselves, but for every patient that goes to the hospital and sits there without medical help,’ Bougardt said.