BHISHO- The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape has raised concerns after a paralysed woman staged a protest outside the Eastern Cape Legislature in Bhisho on Friday, 13 March demanding long-overdue intervention in her case.
A resident of Jeffrey’s Bay, Thobeka Priscilla Jantjies travelled to Bhisho to highlight what she says has been a 24-year struggle for justice and proper care after a medical procedure left her paralysed.
According to Jantjies, she became paralysed in 2002 following a tooth extraction at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital.
Since then, she has been seeking assistance and a resolution to her case, which she says has remained unresolved for more than two decades.
The DA’s Shadow MEC for Health in the Eastern Cape Legislature, Jane Cowley MPL said the party would submit parliamentary questions to Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa in order to establish the full facts surrounding the case and how the provincial Department of Health has handled it.
Cowley said Jantjies’ protest highlights the challenges faced by individuals who believe they have been failed by the healthcare system.
“She has been waiting 24 years to get finality,” Cowley said.
The case also draws attention to the broader medico-legal crisis facing the Eastern Cape Department of Health.
In addition High-value negligence claims, particularly those involving long-term medical care costs, have placed significant financial strain on the provincial health budget.
Reports indicate that the department’s medico-legal contingent liabilities now exceed R40 billion.
When such claims are settled or enforced through court orders, the payments often come directly from the department’s operational budget.
This can affect funding for staff, medicines, equipment and other critical healthcare services.
Cowley emphasized that the DA would continue to hold the MEC and the department accountable. “We will demand urgent action to address this crisis so that vital health resources are directed where they belong caring for the people of the Eastern Cape,” she said.
Photographs: Supplied
