Denosa in North West unhappy with vaccination process

Ten thousand healthcare workers have been vaccinated in the North West so far but the vaccination process is yet to get under way at the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.

Healthcare professionals at the Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital in Vryburg and surrounding areas are still waiting for vaccines.

The province currently has five vaccination sites in Klerksdorp, Rustenburg and Mahikeng.

Acting provincial secretary for the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, Kedibone Mdolo says, “We are disappointed as Denosa North West that one of the rural districts which is your RSM [Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District] is not part of this process yet.”

“The Department of Health has the responsibility and accountability to their employees. They have to make sure that those employees in those areas where there is a shortage of resources that are needed for this rollout, it is their duty to make sure that RSM is catered for.”

Health authorities in the North West say they will start vaccinating healthcare workers at the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District by next week.

Health MEC Madoda Sambatha says only five of the 26 public and 17 private facilities announced as vaccine sites were approved in the first two stages of vaccinations.

“The whole of Dr Kenneth Kaunda has been done on vaccination, except a few 10% including me who received a notification that I must come on Thursday last week because I’m registered here. I did not come because I am waiting for Dr Ruth to get their vaccination … as we speak now with 5 sites, added three last week. Next week we [are] going to officially have a start in Dr Ruth. Remember last week, Ngaka started which means in a period of 2 weeks we going to be adding another close to 10 000 numbers to the [current number],” says Sambatha.