General manager at KZN hospital on special leave after ‘party’ during Level 4

The Lenmed Group says taking into account of Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre (EHHC) small gathering held at hospital premises by a handful of doctors in late May, where alcohol – kept at the facility for the hosting of events and external guests was consumed.

The sale of alcohol was still banned in late May as the country was still on Level 4 lockdown regulations.

In a statement on Friday, they have confirmed that the general manager of the hospital has been placed on special leave and the matter is under EHHC’s ethics and peer review committee.

Spokesperson for Lenmed, Michele Naidoo said they received information on the allegations by an anonymous whistleblower.

“Lenmed opted to institute an investigation as we are committed to ensuring that the behavior of our employees and the medical practitioners who provide their services at our various hospitals is always above reproach.”

Due to the alleged gathering, the group has implemented a new policy banning the presence and consumption of alcohol at its facilities.

“As a precautionary measure, all those alleged to have been present have been placed into quarantine and have been or will be tested for Covid-19 as a matter of urgency.”

Naidoo said this would not greatly impact the hospital operations and that the medical practitioner’s identities would not be revealed due to their right to confidentially while the matter was being investigated.

Lenmed has apologised and said they were taking seriously the safety of its patients, employees, and doctors a priority during the Covid-19 outbreak.

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