Health MEC: Protect the department’s image
Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba has warned employees working in health against tipping the media off on irregularities in hospitals and clinics
POLOKWANE – The “leaking” of information to the media, will not result in any improvement in hospitals, but instead just serve journalists’ agendas, she said.
“We need loyalty. When you take information to the media, you will not get a solution. The department regularly makes headlines for all the wrong reasons.”
Ramathuba urged staff to report issues internally, including to phone her personally.
You know when you report something to me, I will act, but when you report it to a journalist, they sell a story. We need to protect our image.
The MEC said employees will suffer reputational damage as a result of the leaks.
“You might be a director now and apply for a job in Gauteng as a chief director. Then, people will see your current employer is the Limpopo Health Department and you will automatically be linked to whatever has been published,” she said.
In reference to a nurse who was recently attacked on duty, Ramathuba said government should review the security of hospitals.
“Can we define the security of the hospital the same way we define security at a supermarket? How can we define the security of mental institutions where certain convicts are admitted as mental cases? Can we define it as similar security as an ordinary hospital of medical cases?” she asked.
“There are areas where we could have improved on if one looks at the video footage. We are looking deeper into exactly what happened. We are busy, people are on site investigating intensively. There are short term measures we put in place to strengthern security and there are also a long term measures. I have been raising this matter for years with the Minister of Health for us to define the security of our hospitals.
“In hospitals, we have patients, workers and equipment that should be protected. Health is a labour intensive department: you need human resources to deliver health, when you such skills, it becomes a devastating issue. The question is ‘are we fit as the hospital to look after the convicts? Never and never again shall this happen.
