The North West Department of Health has appointed a task team to investigate the state of the Brits Hospital, following concerns raised about the condition of the facility.
Department authorities visited the hospital after a viral video showing a number of patients sleeping on the floor without receiving any help recently came to light.
Patients also complain about the bad attitude of the nursing staff. Calls have been made for consequence management to be implemented.
Reports of negligence emerged on social media forcing a delegation of high-ranking officials in the North West Health Department to intervene.
National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) deputy chairperson Leonard Choeneemang says, “They are not doing us a favor, there is a reason there is a labour relations act and if they do not know it then they don’t deserve to be in management, then they must go. If a manager finds it difficult to deal with unions then I have a serious problem with that manager. Then that manager must go.”
North West health workers’ protest continues
Civic organisation Save Madibeng spokesperson Sydney Monnakgotla says, “We appreciate the fact that the office of the MEC will be sending a task team but equally to that we have made our position very clear as Save Madibeng that all those who are responsible – action needs to be taken against them.”
The provincial government says such treatment of patients is unacceptable.
MEC for Health Madoda Sambatha says, “It is not staff morale that made these patients sleep on the ground, it’s negligence, that’s how it’s called, not staff morale. The reality is that this is called negligence. Nobody is employed to ignore patients…”
“This thing of coming to the hospital and saying welcome to staff morale it must be allowed, it cannot be two days people sleeping on the floor then we say yah…staff morale…staff morale, we are not going to do that,” added Sambatha.
The task team which comprises representatives from the national and provincial office has been established and will hopefully improve the situation at the facility.
@DrZweliMkhize @NorthWestDOH @HealthZA @eNCA @SABCNews @News24 @Newzroom405 @madibengfm105
How does a whole hospital go 5 years without aircons?
5 years of telling patients they can’t operate on them because they have no aircons#BritsHospital @madibenglocalmu pic.twitter.com/32gq9HJq8B
— Lemo.T DJ (@LemoTSA) November 2, 2020
