Health and Wellness
With regard to mortality statistics at public health facilities:
(a) What is the number of deaths recorded at each public hospital in the province from 2024 to date and (b) what are the primary causes of death recorded at each hospital during this period, disaggregated by category of cause of death?
I am informed by the Department that:
(a) The number of deaths recorded at each public hospital in the province from January 2024 to March 2026 is provided in the attached annexure.
The annexure includes separate tabs for:
- inpatient deaths;
- outpatient / emergency centre deaths; and
- total deaths, combining inpatient and outpatient / emergency centre deaths.
(b) The Department does not routinely record and report hospital death information by primary cause of death in the format requested.
Hospital mortality information is routinely reported according to where the death occurred in the hospital, such as inpatient areas or outpatient / emergency centre areas. While some coding information may be available, this does not provide an accurate cause of death profile for reporting purposes. The coding primarily reflects services or treatment provided and cannot be used as a reliable proxy for the primary cause of death.
The attached annexure therefore provides the available hospital mortality data by facility and by service area, but not by category of cause of death.
