Northdale Hospital bosses roughed up

Agroup of disgruntled Northdale hospital workers, on Tuesday, stormed into the offices of senior managers, allegedly threatening and roughing up the acting CEO and the HR manager. The KZN Department of Health condemned the incident and promised an urgent investigation into the matter.

Administrative Head of the Kwazulunatal Department of Health, Dr Sandile Tshabalala, has strongly condemned the alleged acts of violence and intimidation against the acting CEO of Northdale Hospital, as well as the Human Resources manager.

It is alleged that the angry workers stormed into the CEO’S office and demanded that he and the Human Resources manager vacate the hospital premises.

The CEO’S office was vandalised in the process, and a threatening message was left on the walls.

Dr Tshabalala says a high-level team of officials from head office has since been deployed to investigate the incident.

The HOD has pleaded with all aggrieved workers to desist from taking the law into their own hands, but rather follow established grievance management protocols so that their issues may be properly addressed.

According to sources at the hospital, some staff have been aggrieved at the intervention taken by the Department of Health following numerous cases of mismanagement. Matters came to a head during lockdown when a high level probe resulted in several suspensions and the appointment of a new acting CEO.

“The protestors want staff sent from the district office to be removed – that is the acting CEO, acting systems manager and the HR manager. The managers they want removed are the managers who are cleaning up and tackling the problems. Our CEO was shoved around, had water thrown at him and they were threatened and told to leave. This was really scary and many patients witnessed the ordeal,” said a staff member at the hospital.