POLOKWANE – The Department of Health says a memorandum supposed to be handed over by the Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU) was not received as the union refused to give it to the person delegated by the MEC to accept it.
This, after YNITU marched from the park opposite the SABC to the offices of Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, calling for her dismissal as they cited her alleged failure at the helm of the department.
Read more: [WATCH] Limpopo nurses march for the removal of Health MEC
Provincial convenor, Makerei Monnye, told Review that Ramathuba ignored vulnerable communities by subjecting them to unnecessary and untimely deaths by failing to employ adequate staff after using tax payers’ money to train them.
“There is already a shortage of professional nurses, but she plans on releasing even more. This union will not allow the healthcare system to be butchered by those who have to protect, promote and uphold its principles of excellence and integrity. The duty of healthcare workers, including the MEC, is to ensure that everyone, poor people in particular, access quality healthcare in South Africa,” he said.
Monnye added that the release of healthcare professionals who were trained, in the midst of an ailing healthcare system with a gross shortage of nurses, does not make sense and that on the contrary, nurses should be absorbed into the system.
National organiser, Kagiso Phajane said it can never be business as usual when the country is striving to champion the National Health Insurance, but more than 450 healthcare professionals will be facing unemployment by those they put in power.
“Those being released have completed their community service and were supposed to be registered with South African Nursing Council (SANC), by the facilities they were working for. It is a shame that they have not been registered despite meeting all the requirements. This means they can’t even seek employment in the private sector. The process of registration with SANC can take up to a year and there is still no guarantee of getting a job after they have been registered.”
