COSATU MPUMALANGA CONDEMNS WITH CONTEMPT THE REPEATED SENSELESS ATTACK OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN THEMBA HOSPITAL

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in Mpumalanga condemns with contempt the continued attacks on frontline healthcare workers at Themba Hospital in Kabokweni.

COSATU Mpumalanga is appalled by the actions of a prominent businessman, who arrived at the hospital on Saturday with a gunshot wound and insisted that healthcare workers ignore all the other patients and attend to him instead. When the staff did not immediately accede to his demand, his bodyguards forced the doctors and nurses to attend to him at gunpoint.

This is not the first attack of this nature to occur at Themba Hospital. In April the hospital was attacked on three separate occasions, when a group of up to 20 men threatened and assaulted doctors, nurses and patients in an attempt to bully management into awarding them tenders.

The safety and well-being of healthcare professionals is paramount, and such senseless attacks not only endanger those who dedicate themselves to caring for others but also undermines the fabric of our society.

Healthcare workers have been at the forefront, tirelessly working to save lives and provide essential medical care to those in need. These professionals deserve our utmost respect, gratitude and protection. Instead, they are met with verbal abuse, physical assaults, and threats while carrying out their duties.

It is unacceptable that healthcare workers, who are committed to healing and saving lives, are subjected to such reprehensible acts by criminals who reside in areas surrounding the hospital. Violence against these professionals not only affects their physical and mental well-being, but also hampers their ability to perform their duties effectively, ultimately jeopardising patient care.

The Federation calls for swift and decisive action to ensure the safety and security of healthcare workers within Themba Hospital and at all healthcare facilities. We further call upon the security cluster and the Department of Health in the province to take note of these barbaric acts. Attacks of this kind have become the norm in Mpumalanga with very little consequence management.

Lastly, we urge the Mpumalanga Provincial Health Department working closely with Department of Safety and Security to urgently convene a special session to reflect on all the previous resolutions that were taken by the provincial government, led by the Premier's office to develop sustainable solutions to resolving the matter of security in both our health and public facilities.

The Mpumalanga government is advised to review the benchmarking exercise undertaken by the Provincial Task Team constituted by both labour and government, whose role was to emulate good practice from hospitals in Gauteng including George Mukhari, Chris Hani Baragwanath and Steve Biko hospital. Those hospitals reported minimal crime incidence on their premises despite being some of the biggest hospitals in the country and the continent

COSATU Mpumalanga stands in solidarity with the doctors and nurses of Themba Hospital and reaffirms its commitment to advocating for their rights, safety, and well-being. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work tirelessly to ensure that healthcare workers can carry out their noble profession without fear of violence or reprisal.

Issued by COSATU MPUMALANGA

For enquiries, contact: Thabo Mokoena(Provincial Secretary): 073 750 2041

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