Patients at Rethabile Clinic were left high and dry when staff at the medical facility downed tools on Tuesday following allegations of a nursing assistant being suspended without a suspension letter from the Department of Health.
Patients were not attended to by medical practitioners and offices in the building were allegedly locked. “All they can tell us is that the staff is having a meeting and no patients will be assisted. Some patients have serious health conditions and nursing personnel just don’t care about anyone’s health,” a patient who wished to remain anonymous said at the time.
Allegations were doing the rounds of nursing personnel being disgruntled about the suspension of a nursing assistant following her alleged refusal to take a call from Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba about a complaint from a patient last Sunday.
Democratic Alliance Spokesperson on Health Langa Bodlani said in a press statement that the nursing assistant was apparently summarily suspended telephonically without a suspension letter. “Workers at the clinic have downed tools in support of their colleague and only the maternity ward was operational. Whatever the grievances of the workers, it cannot come at the expense of patients who need urgent medical attention,” Bodlani said.
Health Spokesperson Derick Kganyago said the matter was resolved Tuesday afternoon. “We have issued a letter of suspension to the employee during a meeting at the clinic on Tuesday. All services at the clinic were resumed late Tuesday afternoon,” Kganyago said.
He added that the department condemns the actions of personnel at the clinic to put patients’ health at risk.
Story: RC Myburgh
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