The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) in KwaZulu-Natal is pleading for government intervention as attacks on nurses escalate.
In the most recent incident at the weekend, a nurse was shot dead when he and his colleagues were ambushed and attacked.
The nurse was shot three times during the hijacking at Ndwedwe, in the Ilembe District Municipality.
Yesterday, the provincial health department said there is an orchestrated string of attacks against state-owned vehicles and health care employees, which they are investigating.
Provincial Denosa Secretary Mbali Sabela says members now fear for their lives when they are deployed to crime hotspot areas as security is rarely provided.
“We are very shocked at these attacks because health care workers are so limited, we are short-staffed. These attacks, they don’t just happen overnight because we have been engaging the department about these attacks and how to eliminate them because they are places that are high risk. We ask the department to get the SAPS to escort those cars to the places they are suppose to work.”
More details in the podcast below:
Safety calls
Meanwhile, healthcare worker unions in KwaZulu-Natal say the hijackings of state vehicles, especially at Ndwedwe, has been going on for some time.
Unions say nothing is being done to ensure the safety of workers.
VIDEO | SA Emergency Personnel Union calls for the the safety of healthcare workers to be prioritised:
