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Dagga link to hospital attack
20/07/2006 20:00 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The man who attacked three people at Pretoria's Kalafong Hospital had been treated there for dagga-induced psychosis, said Gauteng health department on Thursday.
"He was treated and was discharged two weeks ago after responding positively to treatment," said the department's Simon Zwane after an investigation.
The man, who had been treated for the psychosis two weeks ago appeared at the hospital's security checkpoint on Wednesday and stabbed three people who were in a waiting area.
Zwane said: "He was not a patient, he came from home and attacked these people outside the hospital."
"The safety of patients and health professionals was not threatened," said Zwane.
Victims Willem and Martie Snyman, in their sixties, were severely wounded in the chest, shoulders and neck, according to Amber Brown of the Eugene Marais Hospital.
In hospital under police guard
She said that Martie was moved to a general ward on Thursday. Husband Willem was in the intensive-care unit in a critical, but stable, condition.
The third victim, Martie's sister, also had been stabbed, but not severely injured or admitted to hospital.
Pretoria police said on Wednesday night that bystanders turned on the 41-year-old suspected attacker and seriously injured him after the stabbing.
Spokesperson constable Brenda Kgafela said the man had been admitted to the hospital under police guard and was due to face charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
- SAPA
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