EFF Councillor, Baba Sebolao, refutes the allegation made by the Public Servants Association (PSA) in the Free State, instead pinning the chaos on two other nursing unions. PSA marketing officer, Lynsie Pelser, says the disruption at the hospital is ongoing, despite a consensus being reached between the Free State Health Department and hospital employees on adherence to COVID-19 regulations, following a meeting with department head, David Motau on Tuesday. She elaborates on the terms of the agreement between the respective parties.

This includes enforcing the isolation of suspected COVID-19 positive employees, and keeping them away from work, until their tests results come back. It also reached consensus regarding the contentious issue of closing down an entire health facility following a confirmed case.

Should an employee test positive for the coronavirus, only the area where the employee is stationed will be closed off, and then undergo decontamination and cleaning. After this, the specific area will be reopened. “What is very clear is that the employer does not have to close down a whole hospital or clinic where the infection is. It is basically the area where the employee is stationed that must be cleaned,” explains Pelser.

The latter resolution echoes statements made by Health Department spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi last week, who called the persistent calls for health facilities to be shut down following confirmed cases “impractical and unsustainable”.

Mvambi said in reaction to a similar strike at the Fezi Ngubentombi Hospital in Sasolburg, where healthcare personnel alleged there wasn’t enough protective equipment, and then urged the department to shut down that hospital. In addition to these demands, the department and the union have agreed to prioritise and protect vulnerable employees above the age of 60-years-old, as well as those who are also suffering from chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

They plan to do this by either designating certain workspaces specifically for them, or sending them home until it is safe to return.

The Free State now has 2 306 active COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths. The epicentre of the pandemic in the province remains in Mangaung, which includes Bloemfontein.

OFM News