DA to Question Eastern Cape Health MEC After Paralysed Woman Protests

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it will submit parliamentary questions to Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa following a protest outside the Eastern Cape Legislature in Bhisho by a paralysed woman seeking resolution to her long-running case.

According to the DA, Thobeka Priscilla Jantjies, from Jeffrey’s Bay, staged the protest on Friday morning to highlight what she describes as a decades-long struggle for assistance and closure.

Protest Raises Long-Running Medical Case

In a statement issued on 13 March, DA Shadow MEC for Health Jane Cowley MPL said Jantjies has been paralysed since undergoing a tooth extraction at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in 2002.

Cowley said Jantjies travelled to Bhisho to draw attention to her case and her call for what she believes should be a proper resolution and ongoing care.

“The Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned following the protest staged this morning outside the Eastern Cape Legislature,” Cowley said in the statement.

She said the party intends submitting formal parliamentary questions to MEC Capa in order to establish the facts surrounding the case and how the Eastern Cape Department of Health has handled it.

Questions to Be Submitted to Health MEC

Cowley said the parliamentary questions are intended to determine the details of Jantjies’ situation and whether the department has taken appropriate steps in addressing the matter.

According to the DA, Jantjies has been waiting more than two decades for finality regarding her situation.

The party also linked the matter to broader challenges within the provincial health system, particularly the financial pressures caused by medico-legal claims.

Concerns Over Medico-Legal Claims

The DA said the Eastern Cape Department of Health is facing significant financial strain from negligence claims, particularly those involving long-term medical costs.

Cowley stated that the department’s medico-legal contingent liability has reportedly exceeded R40 billion.

She argued that when such liabilities result in settlements or court orders, the payments can affect the department’s operational budget.

According to the DA, this can impact areas such as staffing levels, procurement of medicine, equipment replacement and the overall delivery of healthcare services.