Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union (Hospersa) has called on its members to refuse to work where Personal Protective Equipment is not provided.
The union has also demanded the temporary closure of Netcare St Augustine Hospital following more than 40 health workers testing positive for coronavirus.
However, the KwaZulu-Natal government says it will be closing the hospital in phases.
Hospersa spokesperson Kevin Halama says they are also looking at the legal options available to their members at that hospital should it be proved that Netcare was negligent by placing workers’ lives at risk.
“We have tried to engage with the Department of Health to address this issue but our concerns have not been addressed. We have also tried to address this issue with Netcare whereby 48 health workers tested positive for covid-19 at their ST Augustine hospital,” adds Halama.
”But even there, our efforts have fallen on deaf ears. So now we have no other option but to request our members to withdraw their labour where personal protective equipment (PPE) is not provided,” explains Halama.
The video below confirms that 48 staffers test positive for COVID-19 at St Augustine’s hospital:
Gauteng Health Department calls for donations of protective gear
The Gauteng Health Department is calling for donations of Personal Protective Equipment and ventilators. The department says these donations will help supplement government resources and will be used at special sites allocated for COVID-19 patients.
This follows as the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) prepares to go to court on Tuesday, after the national and provincial health ministries allegedly failed to provide protective gear and equipment to health workers. There have been reported shortages of gloves, masks, ventilators which NEHAWU argues puts the lives of health workers at risk.
