They are meant to be places of healing and safety for our most vulnerable, yet a recent spate of rapes at Gauteng health facilities have once again exposed the inadequate infrastructure for mental health patients, as well as the inadequacy of security measures to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
This week, the Gauteng department of health revealed it was investigating yet another case of rape at one of its facilities – this time at Bheki Mlangeni District Hospital in Soweto, where a 16-year-old mentally ill patient alleged he was sexually assaulted.