Sandile Motha
The KZN department of health should be held directly responsible for it shortcomings in exercising due diligence and glaring failure to protect nurses from contracting the novel Corona virus, according to Democratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) following the closure of the General Gizenga Mpanza Memorial Hospital.
The health facility, formerly Stanger Hospital, came under scrutiny this week when it emerged that 16 nurses had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Speaking to Inside Metro this week, union provincial secretary Mandla Shabangu said the catastrophic consequences at General Gizenga Mpanza Hospital would have been avoided had the department heeded the call to protect workers after some patients admitted as early as February at the hospital exhibited symptoms of the Corona virus.
“We are in this crisis because we have a political head and senior management who are hostile to workers’ lives. We warned the department well in advance that their insistence of compelling workers to assist patients who had tested positive for Corona virus without protective gear would have disastrous outcomes. Unfortunately that is where we are now,” said Shabangu.
He said the department had resorted to intimidation tactics threatening workers for dismissal.
“With the hospital in question, it was brought to our attention that nurses are forced to reuse N95 face masks and surgical gloves because there is a severe shortage. As a result we encouraged our members not to risk their lives and treat Covid patients without the required protective gear. Most nurses were forced to work after the department threatened them with suspension and dismissal letters,” lamented Shabangu.
However, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane–Zulu shot down the union’s claims, insisting that the department was not hounding nurses to work without the protective gear.
“First and foremost, the N95 masks shortage is a global problem because the health system was overwhelmed with the Corona outbreak. As a temporary measure we have come up with other alternatives to ensure that the work of treating patients doesn’t ground to a halt at the same time protecting health workers from getting infected,” said Simelane Zulu.
She said those in the Gizenga Mpanza health facility would remain inside so that tests could be conducted on the in housed patients and staff.
“In the interim, the hospital will remain closed and no new patients will be admitted. Patients would be referred to other hospitals in the region to ease the burden,” she added.
Simelane-Zulu said an investigation had been instituted which will investigate among other things how the virus was able to spread at such a rate in a short period of time.
Among those infected includes a doctor and two babies, taking the tally to 19 infected people.
The outbreak at General Gizenga hospital is compounding the already fragile health system in the iLembe region where two clinics have closed due to nurses testing positive for the COVID-19. The region is the second most affected district in terms of Coronavirus while eThekwini metro lead the province with more infections.
