A 35-year-old man who appeared in court last Thursday accused of starting a fire at Paarl Provincial Hospital was a psychiatric patient at the facility, reports News24.
The state alleged that video footage and eyewitness accounts link Morné Dampies to the blaze, which led to evacuation of the outpatient department and disrupted critical services at the hospital.
The matter has been postponed to 5 February for bail information and for a media application to have court proceedings recorded and streamed live.
Parts of the hospital remain temporarily unusable, with services being reorganised to ensure continuing patient care
Western Cape Health & Wellness MEC Mireille Wenger said that although emergency services remain functional, some elective procedures may be delayed while hospital teams restructure operations.
“Additional cleaning teams have been brought in to deep-clean and prepare areas that have already been assessed and declared safe,” she said.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Suspected arsonist arrested after Paarl Hospital fire
Mental health patient tries to set bed alight
Possible arson to be probed in Tembisa hospital fires
Addington Hospital patients evacuated after fire breaks out