Union warns of nurse shortages in Hammanskraal

This follows the death of 17 people of cholera in Hammanskraal, north of Tshwane, since Monday last week.

More than 160 patients have sought treatment for water borne diseases symptoms at the Jubilee District Hospital since the outbreak.

Denosa's Bongani Mazibuko says the hospital does have enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), but is experiencing a shortage of health staff.

“What we are saying is that we need more PPEs to be able to assist there and more nurses are needed to come up so we don't end up over burdening the nurses that are there and we don’t end up causing them to have a burn out.

“We totally do not agree with the sentiments that there was adequate staff. We have long been advocating saying that there's a shortage of staff in the Department of Health and in Gauteng as well. The truth of the matter is that the services that are being offered currently, and the population of Gauteng has grown and the services are more now."

Mazibuko added that the nurses that were being employed at that time cannot be adequate to address the current challenges in the Department.

To date, 29 laboratory cases of Cholera have been confirmed, and 67 patients have been admitted due to gastrointestinal infection.

The Gauteng Department of Health say more nurses have been deployed from other facilities to assist the Jubilee District Hospital.

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