Yusuf Dadoo employees are demanding answers

Employees from the Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital have been voicing their concerns since Friday. Their protest was initially peaceful, but today they are stopping people from entering the hospital.

On Friday, members of the National Health Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), the Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU) and the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa) all united in front of the hospital demanding that management talk to them.

This came after a letter was sent to management more than a week before to ask for feedback regarding their concerns.

On Monday morning, when management had still not engaged with them, they closed the gates to the hospital. However, the police were called in and the gates were reopened. At about 10am, management started negotiations with the members of the unions.

Employees are unhappy because they say positions at the hospital are being advertised but local people are not being appointed. They continued, saying that management is not creating learning opportunities for employees to develop and fill the advertised positions internally.

They accused the hospital’s Human Resources staff of only appointing family and friends and not working through fair processes when appointing staff.

Another issue is the canteen, which closed down almost two months ago. According to union members, the hospital management told them the contract for the service provider running the canteen had ended but that they could not find someone suitable to replace the previous vendor.

Sello Morapedi from Hospersa explained that there are many elderly patients in the hospital whose families do not come to visit often. A closed canteen leaves these people helpless if they should need something.

Management has also chased away street vendors who were selling, fruit, sweets and airtime on the grass outside the hospital.

Another issue, for the nurses especially, is the fact that according to them foreign doctors are being appointed to work in the hospital. They say in many cases these doctors don’t speak the same language as the patients and claim that they have to then translate between the doctors and patients.

The kitchen staff are complaining because the hospital is allegedly being fitted with WiFi and security cameras but the boilers aren’t working and there are no decent cooking utensils for the staff to cook for the nine wards filled with patients every day.

The most shocking accusation, however, is that the hospital has ghost employees on its books who receive monthly salaries and bonuses, but have either retired many years ago or have passed away.

The News reached out to the hospital’s management for comment on Friday afternoon, but has not yet received any feedback.