Provide protective gear or we’ll head to court, threatens Nehawu

The union has given the Department of Health until the end of Wednesday to respond to its demands, failing which it will launch an application at the High Court.

The union’s general-secretary Zola Saphetha says the department needs to do more to protect workers who at the frontline of the battle against coronavirus.

“Scores of our members who are nurses, doctors, pharmacists, cleaners, dispensary and reception clerks, community health workers, potters, ambulance and morgue workers, community care workers, laboratory technicians and other allied health personnel have thrown themselves to the frontlines in carrying out their duties to save the lives of our people in the face of this unfolding national epidemic,” says Saphetha.

“They have joined still more others who continue to be on guard at our ports of entry and performing an outstanding service to our country. This decision was taken after numerous and mounting reports from different workplaces in provinces and health districts which paint a very bleak picture of a looming disaster as a result of government’s failure to develop and implement a budgeted and comprehensive rollout plan, especially with regard to the provision of protective equipment and sanitizers.”

Saphetha says the union requested a meeting with Health Minister Zweli Mkhize before the outbreak was declared a national disaster, but to no avail.

“To date the department is still not forthcoming with such as plan, let alone the fact that in many healthcare centres there is still no delivery of the PPEs, sanitizers and others such preventative paraphernalia to protect workers and indeed the patients from cross infections in healthcare centres.”

Thirteen healthcare workers, including 11 doctors, have so far tested positive for coronavirus.

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