KZN health MEC urges nurses not doing their work to change their behaviour

KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu has called on the “few” nurses who do not service patients accordingly to refrain from this and applauded those who do good work.

The MEC was on Monday responding to a message sent via social media by a member of the public during an interactive session which Simelane-Zulu said would take place on a weekly basis so her department would respond directly to issues people have.

The messenger commended nurses working at an “overcrowded” clinic in Umlazi, Durban, for doing a great job at the facility.

In response to another inquiry, Simelane-Zulu said her department does and would continue to conduct visits, some of them “surprise visits”, to all clinics and hospitals across the province, including those in rural areas, and would not only focus on urban areas such as Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

She explained that the operating days and hours of clinics are determined by the population of an area and its demands for health services, and added that the department can, for example, change the operating days or hours of a clinic should the need arise.

Simelane-Zulu said a number of factors, including a community’s proximity to a hospital, are taken into consideration on whether a clinic should be constructed in a particular area.

The MEC said more than 7,000 people are on the provincial health department’s recruitment database, however, the department does not have as many posts and that scoring would determine who is recruited.

The weekly programme – Lunchtimechat.gov – is an important platform because it provides the department with an opportunity to respond directly to issues members of the public have, the MEC said.

She added that the programme would also provide updates on the number of reported cases of Covid-19.

As of Sunday, the number of reported cases of Covid-19 in the province was 5,030 infected persons, the MEC said, adding that the increase in the number of recorded infections on a daily basis is “a serious worry” and signals that people seem to have relaxed and are not taking Covid-19 seriously.

The MEC said the premier, Sihle Zikalala, and other MECs, such as the MEC of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, would also be invited to the chat to engage with the public and provide updates on responses to Covid-19.

The chat can be accessed through various social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

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