Mkhize: Nehawu report will help ‘rectify’ problems at health facilities

The union delivered the outcomes of its fact-finding mission on government’s state of readiness to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic on Tuesday.

 

The report identified a general lack of personal protective equipment, staff shortages and a lack of compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act as some of the challenges in the public healthcare system.

 

The union also threatened to protest against the lack of protective gear by applyingfor a day's leave in August – when the country is expected to be in the middle of its Covid-19 peak.

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"The minister further requested that the labour workstream identifies those specific facilities that have shortages so that the Department of Health can immediately intervene in those facilities,” the department said in a statement.

 

"This exercise is ongoing and the minister will now not only rely on reports from the provincial departments of health to understand the situation on the ground. 

 

"This will now be augmented and the department will benefit from the work done by the workstream stream multi sectoralectoral MAC to timeously respond to concerns raised.”

 

Mkhize said the department is in no doubt as to the role played by health workers in the fight against Covid-19.

 

"We reiterate our commitment that no health worker should be exposed to a work environment where they have not been provided with sufficient PPE. We will continue to provide as much support as we can in various areas affecting our health workers.

 

"We continue to take seriously all concerns raised by health workers and encourage unions to continue to engage in all structures and platforms to raise issues and bring them to our attention."