Rudzani Matshili 

In an effort to address overcrowding of mental health patients at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, the hospital has repurposed and refurbished a 36 bedded ward in order to accommodate more patients.
Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi assessed the ward alongside hospital management, where she visited the hospital on Wednesday. 
The purpose of her visit was to discuss and find solution for overcrowding and patients staying longer without being admitted.  The hospital has been battling with the increasing number of mental health patients lately, with some spending up to ten days in the Accident and Emergency Unit, awaiting admission in psychiatric wards.
Mokgethi said: "I was concerned about the mental health patients who are staying for eight to ten days in the Accident and Emergency waiting area. However, after my walkabout, I am happy to say that there is a ward that has been repurposed where we will be able to accommodate more patients." 
In addition, MEC Mokgethi said she will work with the hospital and the Social Development Department to ensure that the issue of patients relapsing is brought under control. 
"The other big challenge is readmission, meaning most of these patients relapsed. When these patients are discharged, they go back to the same environment and within a week or two they are back here. So we are communicating with Social Development so that we can have an integrated programme where they can be admitted into a centre where there are social workers to monitor and assessed them before they can go back to their homes," she concluded.