Media statement Thursday, 04 September 2014 DENOSA notes fading Ubuntu and rise of numbness over the attack of health worker at Helen Joseph Hospital The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) notes with sadness, albeit not surprise, the complete numbness as well as lack of Ubuntu and empathy in the manner in which the MEC of Health in Gauteng handled the attack of a health worker at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg on Friday. As the organisation for nurses in South Africa, DENOSA has said its mouth full about poor state of security in facilities in some areas, and complete lack thereof in others, since February 2013 when, as health professionals with first-hand experience, nurses and doctors (DENOSA and SAMA) launched a Positive Practice Environment (PPE) campaign, which called for provision of a conducive environment for health workers in facilities (of which safety and security is one of prominent areas highlighted as needing great attention). This campaign was a way for health workers to offer themselves to be roped in in finding solutions to the many critical challenges encountered in facilities daily. Despite this campaign, DENOSA is saddened to announce that there has been no political will to look into the matter with urgency. In the eight provinces where the campaign has been launched since (except for KZN which has not yet launched), only two provincial governments showed support and commitment to working with health workers in addressing this issue: Northern Cape and Western Cape where MECs pledged their support. In Gauteng, DENOSA launched the campaign on the 7th of November 2013 where a memorandum was handed over to the Premiers office, which highlighted all eight pillars that government needed to address in order for a positive practice environment to be realised, which safety and security was the first pillar. Others were and still are: supply of medication; payment of suppliers and workers; working equipment; enough resources; training and education of workers; enough support for health workers in facilities; and restoration of respect for the public health. Up to date, there has been no response to the memorandum that was handed over to the Premiers office ten months ago. The Premier has since changed after the elections, and so has the MEC of Health. Coming to the incident at Helen Joseph, which represents many others similar to it, the central focus has been on whether the victim was raped or not. The MEC of Health, Qedani Mahlangu, came forward on Tuesday and dispelled allegations that the victim of the attack was also raped, and was thin on what plans are afoot for other facilities where attacks have not yet happened. This is a wrong focus at the wrong time, which shows a glaring and saddening death of empathy over what has happened which in the first place should not have happened in the workplace. The fact that the victim came public and revealed her identity, out of anger over the spinning of her ordeal and as her way to highlight lack of security at health centres, to state her side of the story, which was contrary to the MECs report is living proof over the paralysis of the value of Ubuntu across the board. The most concern occupying the minds is the notion that the woman will need to be compensated, and very little focus is put on the fact that this could have been prevented. Given what has happened and continues to happen, but hardly reported on, DENOSAs position is that no nurse should enter into a facility until their safety is guaranteed while in the workplace. Hopefully this will raise enough red flag to the employer on the problem of safety in our facilities. DENOSA is currently engaging its structures over the matter, where a way forward will be paved. In August 2013, all unions in the public sector signed a Service Charter as a binding contract where workers pledged their commitment to work diligently and professionally on the one hand, and government committed to providing a conducive environment for workers to work under on the other. A reactionary approach to security where it is only beefed up after attacks have happened exposes health professionals to the danger where they are attacked first, and DENOSA cannot keep quiet when nothing is being done proactively to deal with the matter. Health workers at Helen Joseph are traumatized and need assistance, just as they are elsewhere where these attacks have happened. End Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) For more information, contact DENOSA Communication: Mobile: 079 875 2663 Tel: 012 343 2315 Website: denosa.org.za Facebook: DENOSA National Page Twitter: @DENOSAORG
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 09:30:53 +0000
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