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The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) has noted a statement from the Gauteng Health Department of Health (GDoH) confirming that they have suspended three nurses at Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Vosloorus, for “failure to provide patient care”.

HAITU has seen a video on social media of a child who seems to have soiled himself. His mother alleged that the nurses on duty were failing to give him adequate care, resulting in him sitting on soiled sheets. We have a duty to set the record straight for the sake of our members who are being unfairly publicly victimised by the GDoH and have been suspended without any due process being followed

The facts are that there is a shortage of colostomy bags in the hospital. Shortages of colostomy bags and other essential items is unfortunately very common at Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital, due to the drastic budget cuts by the health department. This patient was supposed to be using a colostomy bag, because unfortunately he is unable to pass a stool in the regular manner. The stool is passed through an opening on his abdomen, and a colostomy bag catches the ‘poop’ and ensures that a patient is able to stay clean, and his or her dignity is protected. However, there are no colostomy bags at the hospital and nurses, were forced to improvise. They put him in a diaper in order to manage the situation, but unfortunately, the patient removed the diaper. It is unfortunate that in that moment, a video was taken, creating the false impression that nurses have failed in their duties.

The GDoH is responsible for this situation. The failure to provide basic items means that patients will suffer indignity, because nurses cannot adequately treat them. This patient should have had a colostomy bag, and nurses should never have had to improvise with a diaper. We condemn the department for continuously parading healthcare workers in the media and blaming them for its own failures. Healthcare workers are expected to deliver miracles and take care of patients, without any basic items. This is another sad reminder of how budget cuts compromise good service. HAITU rejects the idea that workers must take the fall for an uncaring department, which takes no responsibility for the crisis it has created. We condemn the GDoH for scapegoating health workers, and for failing to conduct a proper investigation to establish the facts!

HAITU also wishes to educate the public about the “I Serve with A Smile” campaign. This noble campaign, was launched by the CEO of Tembisa Hospital, Dr. Ashley Mthunzi. It is a campaign designed to boost the morale of workers by encouraging them to improve service and ‘serve with a smile’. This campaign calls on workers to give their all to serve the community and patients. At the same time, the campaign also calls on employers to treat workers with care, and to be fair. There can be no service with a smile, when workers are being victimized and abused. Furthermore, this campaign cannot work, in the absence of basic day to day items needed to treat patients. There are hospitals that do not even have painkillers because of gross shortages. South Africa is not at war, why should our hospitals run out of painkillers? Why should patients sleep on dirty linen because the linen service is not operational? Why should patients tolerate being treated in wards which have permanent leaks from the ceiling because of cuts to the infrastructure budget? We can go on and on listing all of the issues that our members are forced to endure on a daily basis, and the GDoH has ignored their cries for intervention. We reject the idea that all these problems can be solved simply with ‘service with a smile’. We demand that the department must also play its role and properly look after all its hospitals and clinics so that workers can take care of patients. The department must join HAITU in the fight against budget cuts. They must also treat workers fairly and act responsibly.

HAITU will be defending these workers from what is clearly an unfair process. We demand that the department must stop scapegoating workers, and they must stop opportunistically using the media to smear the name of hard working healthcare workers in this country!

HAITU has dispatched a team to the hospital to engage the management on this issue.

Issued by The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU)