Union memorandum critisises Lydenburg Hospital
Union alleged that hospital resembles a 'zozo' (an informal settlement).
Some Nehawu members expressed their concerns on September 8 about the state of the Lydenburg Hospital.
They downed tools and stopped operations for about two hours before returning to work. A memorandum was handed over to Sarah Dibakwane, the manager of the Mpumalanga Department of Health in the Ehlanzeni District, by Walter Mgiba, the secretary of the local Nehawu branch.
One of the other organisers, Owen Shabangu of the SACP, said Lydenburg should have a state-of-the-art hospital with modern facilities.
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The memorandum stated that the Lydenburg Hospital looks like a ‘zozo’ (an informal settlement) and is damaged beyond repair.
There have been reports and allegations that visitors have been entering the hospital grounds with guns.
The health department acknowledged receipt of the memorandum on Saturday and said they would investigate the points made.
Some of the points in the memorandum included:
- A gross shortage of staff at the hospital.
- Interviews have been held for some of the vacancies, but nobody has been appointed.
- The hospital management piles a lot of work onto the available staff members.
- Waste management is not up to standard.
- The hospital employees are in need of skills development.
- A demand that the CEO and the corporate managers always be available to the staff.
- A regular severe shortage of water at the hospital. The employees and patients don’t have water for their basic needs.
- A suggestion is that the hospital needs palisades and that the fence is not strong enough to ensure the safety of the patients and employees.
