Healthcare services have been affected at the Boitumelo Hospital in Kroonstad, Free State. Disgruntled staff members demand that the hospital shut down. This, after several healthcare workers tested positive for COVID-19.
Frustrated community members have expressed concern about the ongoing protests at the hospital.
Residents have expressed their concerns at the lack of attention at the Boitumelo Hospital. This follows protests by nurses and support staff.
Some of the residents could not hide their frustrations.
“It’s bad. It’s really bad because we have a grandfather of my colleague …he is not okay at this moment. We are worried about the grandfather. He’s not okay because he was released on Tuesday and we are not sure about his results,” says one resident.
“That is why I’m begging our state, our government to help us. I plead with Dr Zweli Mkhize to help us. I’ve traveled a long distance to be here. From Vredefort … far away place. We come here to collect medication,” says another.
Nehawu Branch Chairperson, Lesego Mogorosi says they tried to engage the management, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
“We have been trying to talk to the management of Boitumelo with regard to their compliance with regard to occupational health and safety act. But they failed to do so. But instead, they decided to tell us that they are the clinicians. We cannot tell them, we as the unions, what they should do.”
Free State Health Spokesperson Mondli Mvambi insists that there is no need to close the hospital.
“Our team is in here. It has come specifically from the provincial office to come here and fast track the process of contact listing so that we can do contact tracing and work around in the hospital facility. To make sure that they determine those high-risk areas and see who is in those high-risk areas who had interacted with those in high-risk areas. So that we can test. We do want to test. Instead, they have deployed more staff to assist with tracing the contacts of the infected staff.”
Meanwhile, another doctor at the Katleho Hospital in Virginia has also tested positive for COVID-19 and also one worker at the Che Guevara Clinic in Sasolburg.
