The DA has called for answers from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, after a 52-year-old Phoenix woman, Constantia Junior Govender – allegedly declared dead by doctors at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital – woke up in a mortuary freezer at the facility.
The incident is believed to have taken place early last month. The provincial Department of Health (DoH) has advised that it is investigating the matter and will officially respond thereafter.
KZN’s people are already suffering the ill-effects of this ANC-run government’s inability to provide proper health care. If MEC Simelane-Zulu does not want to fan the flames of disgruntlement she will act immediately.
The people of this community also deserve a clear and conclusive public statement from the MEC – one that puts paid to speculation and doubt arising from reports that lack sufficient detail.
To date, the DoH has denied the incident referring to hospital records which, they claim, do not support the accusations.
Of concern to the DA is that neither party has made direct reference to a specific date, time, place or staff members to verify their accounts. We therefore call on both the DoH and Ms Govender to do so in order to enable a swift and conclusive probe.
Ms Govender’s claim has striking commonalities with another incident in 2016, where a motorcycle accident patient was found to be alive in a mortuary fridge at the same hospital. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries several hours later.
The DA remains committed to getting answers from MEC Simelane-Zulu and to ensuring accountability from this ANC government. KZN’s citizens deserve to receive proper healthcare.