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"The situation at the hospital is normal. We've resolved the issues patients raised amicably and promised to meet again on Friday," said department spokesman Howard Ndaba.

"We've assured them that we do not put them there for the sake of putting them there - but we are respecting protocol," Ndaba said.

On Tuesday, XDR-TB patients toyi-toyed, blocking the entrance into the hospital.

They were demanding to be discharged unconditionally.

Patient and guard wounded
As a result of the demonstration, a patient was shot in the legs by a guard after he had stabbed the guard.

Both were admitted to Edenvale Hospital and are reported to be in a stable condition.

Ndaba said demands made by patients were impossible to meet, as their conditions required that they be strictly quarantined.

"As the department, we are adhering to the current legislation regulating XDR," he said, and added that the department, together with the Hospital's CEO Dr Mariana Louw, would report back to the patients on Friday regarding the rest of their grievances including claims, by some patients, that they were XDR-negative.

'TB patients need to be detained'
The Democratic Alliance's Jack Bloom said: "Patients with multi-drug resistant TB will often have to be detained against their will. This makes it all the more important that hospital conditions are congenial and professional."

"It is essential that the Sizwe hospital operates effectively as we have a less than 70% TB cure rate in Gauteng," Bloom said.

It was not clear if the department would launch its own investigation into the incident of the wounded patient, but police said they were investigating attempted murder cases. – (Sapa)

Read more:
Multi-drug resistant TB
TB outbreak in Bay

For more information on care and support of tuberculosis visit South African National TB Association (SANTA) or phone them on 011 454 0260.

October 2007

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