COPS CALLED AS NURSES’ STRIKE CONTINUES

MANZINI – Police were called to Siteki Public Health Unit (PHU) as the nurses’ strike continued yesterday.
Following the incident which took place on Thursday, where the office of a senior staff member was trashed, police were called to the health facility yesterday in fear that people’s lives could be in danger.

However, according to sources within the institution, the presence of the police did not deter the nurses from carrying on with their strike as they abandoned their workstation and would from time to time picket around the premises of the facility.

The nurses first downed their tools on Monday and this was after the senior staff member, whom they no longer want as their supervisor, reported for duty after she successfully recovered from COVID-19. The strike continued on Tuesday, but on Wednesday the nurses resumed their duties because the senior staff member in question did not report for work.

However, on Thursday and yesterday, she was present and the healthcare workers abandoned their duties.
The insiders said yesterday morning, senior police officers from Siteki Police Station came to the facility and had an audience with the administration. Afterwards, they said the law enforcers engaged the senior staff member in question, but there were no fruitful outcome as the strike continued.

Later on, they said the Lubombo Regional Health Management Team (RHMT) intervened and asked the senior staff member not to come to work while the administration was dealing with the matter.

Message

However, the insiders said she asked that this message should be communicated in writing and the developments were communicated to the office of the director of Health Services.
The insiders added that the workers made it clear that even if government could slap them with the no-work-no-pay rule, they would not resume their duties for as long as the senior staff member in question was present at the facility.

On the same note, the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) President, Bheki Mamba, said they had heard that management was allegedly trying to threaten their members.
He said they were of the view that the senior staff member in question should be transferred because her relationship with the rest of the workers was already sour.

“It was wrong for her to work at the Lubombo Referral Hospital and Siteki PHU at the same time,” the president said.
He added that they had since requested to meet the Ministry of Health on Monday to discuss the matter.
Meanwhile, the Director of Health Services, Dr Vusi Magagula said the administration, who are the immediate supervisors of the senior staff member in question were still addressing the matter.

Decisions

He said decisions would be taken, implemented and a report would be sent to him so that he could report to the office of the principal secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health.

On the other hand, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said police went there to maintain peace and order.
It is worth noting that the principal concern of the nurses with the senior staff member was that she was deployed to Lubombo Referral Hospital with a doctor who was also from the health centre. 

After being redeployed, sources claim that the pair would frequently return to the facility, which the nurses felt was something against the COVID-19 protocol.

Complaints

This code of behaviour stipulates that workers who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients should be confined. Due to this, the sources claimed that the workers at the unit made formal complaints to the facility’s management, which the doctor respected, while the senior staff member allegedly did not as she continued to visit the facility.

Thereafter, the nurses made a formal plea to management that the senior staff member be transferred to another facility, preferably in another region.
Again, it is also worth noting that the nurses’ strike affect about 150 people per day, which is an average number of patients who receive medical assistance in a day at the facility.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: