TLC SET TO LAY OFF ABOUT 100 STAFF MEMBERS

MANZINI - More woes at The Luke Commission (TLC) as the health institution is set to lay off and not renew contracts of about 100 staff members.

This was revealed by TLC Director of Communications Lindani Sifundza yesterday. He said TLC was faced with critical financial crisis and it had forced the institution to make some  difficult decisions. He said due to an ongoing mismatch between patient volumes and the available resources, with profound sadness, the health facility had been forced to lay-off some of its staff members and not renew contacts for those with agreements that expire at the end of this month (July 2024).  Sifundza said the decision to lay off staff and resort not to renew some of the contacts was a difficult one to take.  “It is not a step we take lightly. We deeply value the contributions of every team member and we are profoundly saddened by the impact of this decision as it does not only affect them, but also their families,” the director of communications said.

Meetings

He said TLC staff members were the most important asset in the organisation. He said in the past 10 months, they have been having staff meetings regularly and they were advising the employees about the current situation and the possibility of additional downscaling and layoffs. Sifundza added that  those who would be placed on lay-offs or have their contracts not renewed have been engaged in person, thanked for their service and advised that outstanding salaries would be paid as soon as funding was available. On another note, Sifundza said as an organisation, they acknowledge and fully applaud the Minister of Health, Mduduzi Matsebula, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Khanya Mabuza and the ministry’s portfolio committee for their unwavering support and efforts to facilitate solutions during this difficult time.“Unfortunately, even with their support, the E30 million in funding that was approved by Parliament continues to face unknown roadblocks,” the director of communications said.

Salaries

These delays, he said, have resulted in delay in the payment of the dedicated staff members’ salaries for June 2024, which have still not been paid. However, he highlighted that their staff members were continuing to diligently and peacefully carry out their responsibilities amid the distress of not being compensated for their hard work and dedication. “This situation has caused immense pain within our organisation,” Sifundza added. Meanwhile, he highlighted that TLC was on pace to see 7 500 outpatients in July 2024, which was down from the peak of 28 000 outpatients per month in 2023. He said it had been TLC’s joy to serve the nation for the past 20 years as in September, the institution would be celebrating its 20th year anniversary.

As a result of the cash flow challenges, on July 1, 2024, TLC temporarily suspended most inpatient and outpatient services as all private, voluntary and personal resources to sustain their health facility operations were exhausted. It is worth noting that in 2023, TLC laid-off about 160 workers and towards the end of the year, some of them were retrenched.  The following programmes, which have dedicated funding, will continue; ARV, PrEP, and TB refills will be available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (8am-1pm) and Saturdays 8am-4pm at the Miracle Campus, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7am-6pm at MMC (Matsapha).

Snakebite patients will be observed and given anti-venom or ventilator support in need. Post-operative patients will still be seen.  DREAMS on Wheels and other funded programmes will continue.

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