Health workers seek better conditions
A SERIES of visits to distribute masks and raise awareness about Covid-19 was cut short after staff protested in anticipation of Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo’s handover yesterday.
The MEC was expected to visit several clinics – including the Khayelitsha Site B clinic and the Khayelitsha District Hospital – when community health workers demonstrated, demanding full-time employment with benefits, salary increases and personal protective equipment (PPE).
At the Site B clinic, community health worker Zanele Ndibongo said their demands were being ignored.
“We have previously engaged with the MEC regarding this and we were never listened to. We don’t have danger allowances and we don’t have enough PPE to protect ourselves. We are given one mask for a week, that is not how it is supposed to work. We go door-to-door every day to educate and provide medication to the elderly people in the area, with no proper equipment to protect ourselves.
“We are being paid peanuts and yet we do the most work, and we risk our lives every day. Governments in other provinces have signed the community health workers, but here in the province we were told that will not happen. We are being exploited by the provincial government and this must come to an end now,” said Ndibongo.
Mbombo said the community health workers should approach the national structure regarding their demands.
“The community health workers are appointed by the NPO so that they could be able, as part of intersocial collaboration, to conduct community work.
“What they are raising is not an issue raised in the province. If you recall during the time of Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, it was initially that they were going to be absorbed, but things have changed. Currently they cannot be absorbed, but they will do an annual review in terms of where they need to be replaced. The best way for them is to go to national level,” said Mbombo.