Durban - Doctors’ unions, the SA Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) and the SA Medical Association (Sama), say practitioners are feeling the strain of backlogs in surgeries that have had to be rescheduled due to the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) wage strike.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health said it was looking at ways to address the backlog after striking workers returned to work yesterday.
Dr Cedric Sihlangu, general secretary of Samatu, said surgeries that were booked for last week had to be postponed.
“The problem for our members is that this week there are surgeries that have already been scheduled and we have to try and squeeze in the surgeries that were scheduled for last week.
“The issue is that surgeries are booked months in advance so we don’t normally just postpone surgeries to a few days later or to next week.
“Our doctors are definitely under pressure.”
Sihlangu said they understood the cause of the Nehawu strike.
“Our doctors, although under pressure, did understand the purposes of the strike as we all face the same challenges.
“However, we understood that we could not join the strike as we are part of essential services.”
Sama chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said the association was saddened that lives had allegedly been lost due to the protest action at public health-care facilities.
“Operations at various hospitals are thus affected with surgeries halted and in some cases emergency vehicles barred from accessing the health-care facilities.
“The association has also received reports of our members who were intimidated and barred from entering or leaving their workplaces.”
Mzukwa added that Sama believed it was the duty of health-care professionals to first do no harm.
“The employer has a responsibility to make provision to protect the public and our members from attack and intimidation. Section 8 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires that the employer provide and maintain as far as reasonably possible a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health and safety of employees.”
The IFP’s Ncamisile Nkwanyana said the party wanted the KZN MEC for Health, Nomagugu Simelane, to present a detailed plan on how she intended to address the backlogs in hospitals resulting from the ongoing Nehawu strike.
“We believe that patients who have been booked for operations have been affected by the strike, and have been left to fend for themselves.
“It is incumbent upon MEC Simelane to tell the public what plans are in place to ensure that people who have missed their bookings will still be able to get the necessary operations.”
Simelane welcomed the return of normal operations at almost all healthcare facilities that were beset by interruptions during the week-long strike by Nehawu members last week.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to all staff members who remained at work during this period despite the threats and intimidations.
“Their dedication does not go unnoticed.
“We also want to thank everyone who reported to work today at all our health-care facilities that endured disturbances over the past few days.”