Pretoria – The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) has condemned the Gauteng Department of Health for “failing to keep patients and workers safe”.
The union said it was deeply concerned about the safety of health-care workers after a male nurse was stabbed at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Joburg.
The assailants entered the hospital premises escorting a man who had been stabbed in the hand, before they attacked the nurse.
“The nurse was on a smoke break when he was stabbed by criminals who were escorting a wounded patient. They were attempting to rob him of his cellphone at the time. The assailants were caught on CCTV footage and we hope that this information will help the SAPS to find them and arrest them quickly,” said Bafana Tshabalala, Haitu’s Gauteng provincial chairperson.
“We are not satisfied by the response from the department. We have noted the strongly worded statement issued by the MEC of Health, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko on this incident, but we want action, not empty words.”
Tshabalala said that at present, the Gauteng Department of Health depended on short-term security contracts which were renewed on a month-to-month basis “and this has been the case for the last six years”.
“The Auditor General has found that this is irregular expenditure, because it is a breeding ground for corruption. These contracts are exorbitant but they are failing to ensure to keep hospitals safe. Workers are still being attacked in hospitals, and thefts are happening on a daily basis.
“If the Gauteng Department of Health is serious about guaranteeing safety, they will immediately cancel these contracts, and insource workers. This will create stability, because the hospital can employ people directly who are well trained and qualified to handle security and make sure that hospitals and clinics are safe spaces for patients,” said Tshabalala.
The union lashed the provincial health authorities further: “They must stop making empty promises and take action to defend workers and patients. Health workers fear for their lives and the department is failing to do anything to improve safety in the workplace. The issue of safety in the workplace is entirely their responsibility and they have a duty to fix it.”
Earlier this week, Nkomo-Ralehoko issued a statement condemning the attack on the nurse, which happened in the parking lot on Sunday.
“We condemn this act of hooliganism and criminality in the strongest possible terms and implore the police to track down the attackers as the incident was captured on CCTV cameras,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.
The provincial health authorities said before stabbing the nurse, the two men had been seen behaving in an “unruly” manner at the hospital’s accident and emergency department.
“They violently demanded hospital staff to immediately attend to their friend, while they were busy with patients who came first and had more severe injuries. The two men also argued with staff and other escorts who had accompanied other patients at the accident and emergency department.
“One of them became too violent and slapped another escort accompanying a patient. It should be noted that security personnel at the hospital intervened and the culprits fled the scene after their attempt to rob the health worker failed,” the Gauteng Department of Health said.
IOL