TYRES BURNT AS NURSES PROTEST

MANZINI – Patients seeking medical attention at Sithobela Health Centre were yesterday treated to a spectacle, reminiscent of a scene from South African apartheid movie – Sarafina.
Sarafina is a South African movie depicting violence and protests that engulfed the republic at the height of the apartheid era.

The incidents that occurred at Sithobela were similar to this epic movie in that the nurses set on fire tyres at the entrance of the hospital.
This emanates from a challenge that exists between the nurses and the administrator of the health centre, Mlondi Lupupa.
Following the strained relations between the two parties, the nurses decided to boycott work. The tiff boders on allegations that are yet to be verified by the Ministry of Health, through the office of the Principal Secretary, Dr Simon Zwane.
The allegations cannot be printed due to their sensitive nature.

The nurses, last month, protested and demanded the removal of the administrator. This resulted in Dr Zwane mediating between the two parties.
In his role, that sought to bring peace, Dr Zwane informed the nurses that after a month, he would bring back a report that would detail what was unearthed following the allegations that were made by the nurses.

Investigate

However, due to the depth of the allegations, Dr Zwane said, those tasked with investigating the matter requested an extension of the timeframe they were given. He said this was communicated to the nurses on Tuesday through the matron of the health centre.
When informed that yesterday was day two of the nurses protesting and boycotting work, the PS said: “That is illegal as we took our time to listen and address them.”
He said the nurses should be patient as they were to be given a comprehensive report on the allegations they had raised with his office.

Public

“The public should not suffer just because they (nurses) have not yet received a report on what was discovered. It is really uncalled for and they should stop it.”
Dr Zwane said the ministry took the matter (investigation) seriously, just like it did regarding the burning of tyres as the nurses protested.
On the other hand, the nurses left their work to nursing sisters who had to attend to patients. This is when the nurses were burning logs and old vehicle tyres within the premises of the health centre  while singing and dancing around the burning tyres.
Sithobelweni Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Bhekitje Dlamini said he was updated on the standoff between the administration of the hospital and the nurses.

Dlamini said what he had gathered was that nurses were irked by not being briefed on what the Ministry of Health discovered after the PS initiated an investigation.
“They claim that the PS had promised to submit a report on what the ministry had found on the impasse,” he said.
On the other hand, the administrator refrained from commenting on the matter. He said the best person to be engaged on the subject was the matron.
However, the matron’s phone rang unanswered for the better part of the day.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: