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The absence of 162 workers at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital for a total of 1333 days last year has negatively affected treatment of patients at the hospital.

This is admitted by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, 149 employees were absent because of unauthorised leave, and 13 employees absconded.

The overall absenteeism rate amongst the 6042 staff was 2.68%, but with wide variations amongst different staff categories - no top managers were absent, and only 1.38% of medical staff, but 12.64% of Allied Support staff (excluding cleaners and porters) were absent, and 4.21% of cleaners, porters and food service workers.

Trends identified include the following:

• Substance and alcohol abuse
• Habitual truancy
• Social problems

The following consequences of absenteeism are given:

• not sufficient staff available to maintain appropriate and acceptable required service delivery standards;
• compromising service norms and standards of the Department as a whole;
• not adhering in totality to the Batho Pele principles.

It is disappointing that only 34 employees were disciplined for absenteeism, which points to a lack of consequence management.

Tighter control of absenteeism will assist in providing a better service to patients at this hospital.

Issued by Jack Bloom MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health