THE National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) has broken its silence on the intervention of the KZN Department of Health in the affairs of the troubled Hlabisa Hospital.
Last month the Provincial Department of Health, led by MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, suspended the entire management team at Hlabisa Hospital after receiving reports that the hospital was being mismanaged.
Speaking to the Zululand Observer, NEHAWU’s Bheki Mkhize Regional Secretary Siyanda Zungu said they welcomed the decision.
‘The intervention was long overdue, but we wonder if this matter would have received such attention if it was not reported in the media.
‘We say this because Hlabisa is not the only hospital which had received complaints about laundry. Similar concerns were raised at Ngwelezane and Mbongolwane hospitals, but no action was taken on those two,’ Zungu said.
The biggest complaints received about Hlabisa was that laundry machines were out of order, resulting in hospital staff washing the laundry by hand and letting it dry outside in unhygienic conditions.
There were also allegations of patients made to carry mattresses and others made to sleep on the floor.
‘We as a union met with the suspended management team of the hospital where we raised these issues with them, but they never acted or raectified them.
‘We also noted the precautionary suspension of these managers, but our worry is that no time frame was given by the MEC.
‘Such investigation may take a year or two, while those suspended are still receiving their salaries for staying at home,’ said Zungu.
Those recalled include the CEO, Deputy Nurse Manager, Human Resources Manager and the Finance Manager.
Zungu also spoke about Ngwelezane Hospital, which has been criticized for its long queues and staff shortages.
‘We have received complaints from the community about Ngwelezane Hospital, but the difficulty is that while the hospital is a tertiary institution, it finds itself providing services that are supposed to be rendered by district hospitals.
‘The criticism is unfair. The hospital receive patients from Itshelejuba, Mseleni and Mosvold Hospitals, all from Ingwavuma, Bethesda from Obonjeni, Hlabisa, Nkonjeni and Ceza Hospitals from Mahlabathini, Nkandla, eShowe and Mbongolwane all refer their patients to Ngwelezane. So no wonder there are long queues and staff shortages.
‘We were encouraged when attending the ANC Musa Dladla Regional Conference, and heard delegates raising the issue of a need of a new district hospital to be based at uMhlathuze. That hospital is the one that should service patients who come directly from local clinics so as to relieve Ngwelezane from this workload,’ said Zungu.
