Department of Health misses deadline to reinstate suspended managers

The Mpumalanga department of health has missed its deadline of bringing back eight hospital senior managers who have been on suspension for more than a year.

It is alleged that the managers’ suspensions were irregular because no proper procedure was followed.

Sources say some of the managers, whose names are known to The Citizen, had been receiving their full salaries sitting at home for more than a year, while others had been away for approximately three years.

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The Citizen has seen a report released by the head of department (HOD) on 21 December last year, which stated that all the suspended managers must return to work on 31 January, because the labour law and other related procedures had not been followed.

The affected hospitals include Embhuleni, Piet Retief, Standerton, Amajuba, Bethal and Ermelo, Witbank TB Hospital, Tonga and Barberton.

‘Unacceptable performance and behaviour’

“The department has been experiencing the purge of managers from health facilities by organised labour who were alleging unacceptable performance and behaviour by these managers,” the report read.

“The department is guided by different acts and policies from the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) on matters relating to the management of human resources in the department. “

According to the guide on disciplinary and incapacity matters from DPSA, it is only the HOD and the executive head who have the right to remove employees from their posts.

The same document gives guidance on how to use the code in cases where the employee is unable to consistently perform at the expected level.

The code should first and foremost be utilised to improve the poor performance of an employee not to get rid of them.”

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The document stated that the employee must not be dismissed on grounds of incapacity before incapacity procedures have been applied.

The report further cited that the department had analysed and investigated the allegations levelled against the managers and proposed a plan that would assist the managers to return to work.

It further encouraged organised labour to use proper channels (and) follow the correct guidelines and report in writing if the performance of the managers is not acceptable so that an investigation can be conducted.

“All managers who were purged out of facilities will be referred for psychological support before being taken back. The organised labour is requested to assist in levelling the ground before the managers are integrated back into their facilities.”

According to the report, the allegations levelled against the managers ranged from corruption, abuse of powers and poor performance.

Spokesperson responds

Asked why the employees had not returned to work, Mpumalanga department of health spokesperson Dumisani Malamule conceded that there were suspended managers, but denied that the officials were suspended illegally.

“Employees who have been precautionary suspended, investigation concluded, a programme to reinstate is ongoing hope to be concluded mid August, the date of January in your question is unknown to this office.

“The issue of a decision to suspend certain managers being influenced by Nehawu, it’s common cause that the latter did raise some allegations against some managers and the department having applied its mind deemed it necessary to cause precautionary suspension where necessary.

“We are working on a return to work strategy on a case by case basis, where consequence management is recommended, due process will be followed.”