Themba Hospital staff down tools on Monday in demand of better working conditions
The hospital's branch secretary of Nehawu, Saicor Msibi, said workers were afraid of going back to the wards because they do not have enough PPE.
Healthcare workers stationed at Themba Hospital took their fight for decent working conditions and personal protective equipment (PPE) a step further. They downed tools and went on a go-slow strike on Monday.
The workers assembled at the hospital’s main entrance and barricaded the gate with chairs and beds.
No one was allowed entry until after midday when they were done picketing.
Read: Themba Hospital in KaBokweni rocked by coronavirus cases
According to the healthcare workers, the problem started last week after 14 staff members attached to the hospital’s theatre ward tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus.
They claimed that the management failed to shut down the hospital and instead forced other staff members to report for duty as normal.
Also read: Covid-19 precautionary measures issued by the municipal manager
“We had expected management to shut down the hospital for a week so it could be deep cleaned, because we do not even know how many people and wards those who tested positive have been in contact with,” said one healthcare worker.
The staff members said they were all screened and tested after some of their colleagues tested positive last week.
“We were all tested, but no one has received their results yet and this is another worrying factor because if those tests come back positive, it would spell disaster,” said another healthcare worker.
The hospital’s branch secretary of Nehawu, Saicor Msibi, said workers were afraid of going back to the wards because they do not have enough PPE.
