Hospital set to lose its status
VENTERSDORP Hospital workers in North West yesterday picketed outside the hospital, opposing the decision to downgrade the facility to a health centre.
This follows the decision by the department of health to downgrade all hospitals with fewer than 50 beds into health centres.
The workers say the decision was not communicated to them and that some of the job categories will be compromised.
Ventersdorp Hospital was servicing mostly people from the local impoverished rural areas and farms.
The workers said if the government converts the hospital to a health centre, other services will also be compromised, leading to downsizing of the staff.
They called on the North West department of health to stop the process with immediate effect.
Cosatu chairman in Ventersdorp Malosi Tau said it did not make sense for Ventersdorp to have three clinics and no hospital.
Ventersdorp Hospital board member Pule Mohutsiwa said residents will suffer.
“This hospital helps a lot of people. We tried engaging with the management but they did not want to listen to us. Now ordinary residents will be forced to travel long distances to access health services,” he said.
North West health department spokesman Tebogo Lekgethwane said the hospital ’ s workers were misled about the developments. He said the department took the hospital board through the transformation plan, including transition of some hospitals to community health centres.
He said a national process has unfolded and new policy dictates that hospitals with fewer than 50 beds will now revert to community health centres without reducing or hampering health services in any way.
“It is therefore surprising that the hospital board is also involved in the protest when they are expected to assist in cascading information to their constituencies.
“In no way does this policy transition imply that employees will lose their jobs or down-scale health services.
“Ventersdorp will remain with the same package of services and will continue to admit patients on the beds currently available,” Lekgethwane said.
North West health MEC Magome Masike is expected to meet the board early next week to discuss their concerns.
“Residents will be forced to travel long distances