GQEBERHA – A concerned mother from Gqeberha says her adult daughter has been left without vital psychiatric medication for weeks, highlighting fears that supply problems in the Eastern Cape health system are affecting vulnerable patients.
The local mother, who asked to remain anonymous, told PE Express that her daughter relies on antipsychotic medication prescribed after a nervous breakdown.
However, attempts to obtain the medication from local hospital pharmacies, clinics and private chemists have allegedly been unsuccessful.
“We were told they don’t have stock because the government has not purchased the tablets,” she said.
The medication is commonly used to treat conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder by regulating brain chemicals, including dopamine and serotonin.
“My daughter had a nervous breakdown and was prescribed this medication, but now she has to go without it. She can’t go to work because of this,” the mother said.
She added that staff at hospitals and pharmacies appear equally frustrated.
“Patients who are sick can’t do anything about it and hospitals and pharmacies also can’t do anything about it. It’s not their fault that psychiatric patients don’t have their medication,” she said.
The medication has allegedly been unavailable since January, leaving families anxious about the consequences for people who depend on treatment to remain stable.
Concerns about shortages come as pressure mounts on the Eastern Cape Department of Health over millions of rand owed to suppliers.
In January, the Democratic Alliance secured unanimous support in the provincial legislature for a motion compelling urgent action on unpaid health suppliers, including a debt of about R90 million to medical gas company Afrox.
DA Shadow MEC for Health, Jane Cowley, said the motion was aimed at forcing accountability.
“The resolutions force the executive to account for years of delayed payments and to implement concrete measures to protect patient care and stabilise hospital supply chains,” she said.
The DA noted that some unpaid invoices date back to 2017, raising concerns about financial mismanagement within the department and its potential impact on patient care.
In December, Provincial Treasury allocated R514 million in an attempt to begin settling outstanding accounts, although the Auditor-General has previously indicated that the department’s unpaid invoices run into the billions.
Under the adopted resolutions, MEC for Health, Ntandokazi Capa, must establish a multidisciplinary task team to ensure hospitals continue receiving essential supplies such as medical gas. The MEC is also required to table a detailed payment plan outlining how the department will settle outstanding invoices.
In addition, Premier Oscar Mabuyane must report on steps to bring the department onto the “Have I Been Paid?” platform, a system aimed at improving payment transparency for suppliers.
“These resolutions create clear executive obligations to stabilise hospital services, protect businesses in the health supply chain, and end a culture of delayed payment,” Cowley said.
For families already struggling to access essential medication, however, the crisis is more than a political debate.
“Paying suppliers on time keeps wards open, protects jobs and safeguards patient lives,” Cowley said.
“A unanimous vote means every party accepted these steps. Now the executive must deliver.”
The mother said the shortages are deeply worrying. “People depend on these tablets to live normal lives,” she said.
The PE Express reached out to the Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson, Siyanda Manana, multiple times but no feedback was received at the time of going to print on Monday.
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