Mental health

A national uproar has been sparked in South Africa after at least 94 patients with mental health disabilities died after being moved by the government from mainstream hospitals to unlicensed health facilities. Last week the country’s health ombudsman released a report which detailed that the facilities that the patients were moved to were overcrowded and were selected in a “hurried implementation process”. This has brought questions around ethics in mental health. To assist us on this subject we are joined by: Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health In South Africa, Dr Herman Raath, Specialist Clinical Psychologist at Windhoek, Namibia, Prof Keymantri Moodley Bio-Ethicist of Head: Centre of Medical ethics and law faculty at the University of Stellenbosch: School of medicine Dr Chris Verster, Psychiatrist and lecturer at University of Stellenbosch: School of Medicine.