Port Shepstone Regional Hospital’s wellness programme is ‘a waste of money’
It is recommended that two hours per week are provided to each employee to enable them to participate in physical activities as a way of keeping them healthy.
A wellness programme focused on keeping staff at Port Shepstone Regional Hospital healthy has been criticised as a ‘waste of taxpayers’ money’.
The Herald was recently contacted by an anonymous source who believed the wellness programme was ‘grossly unfair’ to employees who did not take part and that it interfered with working hours.
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“If you take into account the hours spent on tea, lunch and now exercise sessions, one has to question just how much time is being spent working – and staff are being paid good salaries for this,” he said.
The source added that he had also heard that staff were shutting up shop at 3pm each day in order to fit in their hour of exercise. “This equates to two full days a month of no work but full pay. Training sessions should be done either before or after work, not during working hours when the taxpayer is paying for it.”
However, spokesman for the Department of Health, Ncumisa Mafunda, explained that the wellness programme was a government initiative focused on keeping officials healthy, safe, dedicated and responsive to health issues.
“It is recommended that two hours per week are provided to each employee to enable them to participate in physical activities as a way of keeping them healthy.”
She said that this process is closely managed by all section managers and supervisors to ensure this takes place in a manner that does not compromise patient care. Participation of employees is permitted at convenient times,and is planned and agreed to by the hospital or clinic management.
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