Cosatu in Gauteng says health facilities that accommodate mentally ill patients need to be redesigned. This follows reports of attacks on hospital staff by patients.
It is alleged that, in some instances, nurses became victims of biting, scratching, and kicking by patients.
Nurses have been punched in the face, and security guards have been hit as well.
Health authorities confirmed that over 60 such incidents have been reported since January last year.
The federation’s representative in the province, Vusi Monyela, says the matter needs urgent attention.
“And this violent behaviour, we think, is a result of the facilities that we are having. These facilities must be improved, to accommodate the kind of (patients) that we are dealing with. Because, well, these patients are not (sic), but they are trying to communicate something. However, the facilities must be of a nature that is going to make sure that there’s no violence between a nurse and a mental patient,” says Monyela.
May Day celebrations:
Meanwhile, the African National Congress (ANC) Gauteng Provincial Chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi, has made a commitment to alliance partners, the SACP and Cosatu, in the province that consultations will take place to avoid any rift.
He says all worker-related matters will urgently receive attention, through the SACP in Gauteng, to ensure that workers are not subjected to exploitation by employers.
Lesufi was addressing thousands of workers gathered in Pretoria to commemorate Workers Day.
“The only thing (we) are calling comrades is that let’s consult each other before we can take any action, so that we can solve problems that need to be attended to within our provincial government. So, we are ready to engage with you. We are ready to deliver services together with you.”
Workers Day | Discussion on Fighting for workers Rights:
