MPUMALANGA health MEC Clifford Mkasi is looking into claims that patients are dying at Tintswalo Hospital in Bushbuckridge because of a shortage of resources.

Mkasi received a memorandum of demands from angry residents following a protest march.

He told Sowetan that the allegations against the hospital needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

In the memorandum, the protesters, led by the Bushbuckridge Residents Association, have charged that:

• Patients were losing their lives at the hospital due to a shortage of resources and medicine most of the time;

• Doctors and nurses' safety was being compromised. Theft and attacks on staff was rife.

They have also demanded that a forensic investigation be held into allegations that the hospital management was involved in a R38-million questionable tender related to the procurement of medicine in the hospital.

The memorandum read: "There must be a proper forensic investigation on the allegations of corruption in the procurement of service providers rendering services in the hospital, i.e. R38-million internal tender wherein some senior managers were suspended. To date no one has been arrested."

One of the leaders of the Bushbuckridge Residents Association, Delta Mokoena, said the community should be given access to information in the hospital and that the hospital should give fair treatment to patients at all times.

"We believe that, in terms of the promotion of access to information, we have the right to access information from the hospital," Mokoena said.

"People are continuously losing their lives in this hospital due to a shortage of resources and medicine from time to time.

"The management of this hospital is doing practically nothing to better the situation."

In response, Mkasi told Sowetan, in part, that: "It must be noted that allegations remain allegations until proven otherwise.

"I have received the memorandum from the community members and I'm currently looking into their complaints as they have asked for my intervention."