EC health dept denies health workers don’t have enough PPE

Taking strain from unions following this week’s announcement by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize that 511 health workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Eastern Cape health department yesterday shrugged off allegations that it failed to provide employees with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Although being among several parts of the country hit by sporadic strikes over lack of protective gear, Sizwe Kupelo, spokesperson for the provincial health department, maintained the Eastern Cape had “an abundance of PPE and no shortage”.

“What we have seen here is a spike in wildcat strikes by health workers, as seen at the Frere, Grey and SS Gida hospitals, with people coming up with allegations that there is no PPE provided.

“We continue to procure PPE and storing supplies at our medical depots for distribution. The PPE availability is not a problem.

“We need to find out the real reasons behind the strikes – whether it is hospital managers not distributing the PPE.

“In a war on Covid-19, you cannot send your soldiers without appropriate ammunition like disposable aprons, goggles, gloves and masks,” said Kupelo.

Despite Kupelo’s assurances, the Congress of South African Trade Unions-affiliated National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) have piled pressure on government to provide health workers with PPE.

Nehawu spokesperson Khaya Xaba said: “The situation is dire, especially in KwaZulu-Natal’s Addington Hospital, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and in the Western Cape, where emergency medical services workers have been on strike at the Khayelitsha District Hospital, due to having to make use of refuse bags as aprons.

“This has been the case, too, at the Dora Nginza Hospital in Port Elizabeth and many other healthcare facilities in the Eastern Cape – something which has led to the outbreak of sporadic strikes by workers.

“Health workers feel being recklessly exposed by employers, because of noncompliance to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act.

“As Nehawu, we encourage workers not to work if they feel that their lives are in danger. Workers go to work to sell their labour power and not their lives.”

Nehawu, said Xaba, called on the department of employment and labour to dispatch inspectors to public and private health institutions to ensure OHS compliance.

“Our other biggest concern is that private healthcare providers seem to be hell-bent on maximising profits rather than saving lives,” said Xaba. “In this regard, we believe that labour inspectors are not doing their job in ensuring that they force employers to comply with the OHS Act.”

Denosa spokesperson Sibongiseni Delihlazo said PPE stock level monitoring was “too important to be left to incompetent provinces” and should be carried out at central level”.

“The unavailability of PPE for health workers is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, because no one will be left to take care of patients,” said Delihlazo. “Managing an infectious disease like the coronavirus requires health workers – who include nurses and doctors – to work in a safe environment.

“When the minister of health announces that over 500 health workers have been infected by the virus, it means those individuals have been eliminated from the health profession and thousands of patients are without anyone looking after them.”

Delihlazo called on the department of health to “refrain from giving the responsibility of managing nurses to non-health professionals like human resource practitioners”.

– brians@citizen.co.za

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