HEALTH WORKERS DEMAND REPRIEVE
A COMMUNITY health worker in Madibe Makgabane village outside Mahikeng faces the risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) or related deadly diseases every day in exchange for a R2 000 monthly stipend that only covers food and transport.
Segomotso Jood, 24, said she woke up every morning knowing that the chances of getting sick were high but she had to go and work because her two school-going children needed food.
Jood is a community counsellor for HIV/Aids, working at a local clinic in the North West village.
She prepares patients for antiretroviral treatment and is also a TB tracer, tracking TB patients who have defaulted on their treatment.
She said she sometimes worked without protective kit as they normally run out of stock.
Yesterday, she abandoned her duties and joined over 500 protesting community health workers in Mahikeng who are demanding permanent employment by the provincial health department.
The health workers, who are all members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), shut down the department’s offices yesterday.
The group work at different health facilities in Mahikeng, and some visit patients at their homes.
“I have a target of testing 12 people for HIV, if I don’t reach my target, then I have to walk around the village, knocking door to door looking for patients,” said Jood.
“It’s hard and it’s not safe because I’m a woman and I work alone.”
Her job is to cover the whole village, and at the end of the year she gets assessed and must have reached 1 300 patients.
“It’s not easy, we don’t have good working conditions. Sometimes I test my clients outside the clinic because of space, sometimes I do the tests at a room where dirty laundry and sheets are being kept. ”
Jood said even though she loves helping people, her working environment was demoralising.
“It’s my passion, I love working with people and it makes me happy to see sickly people getting better because of my assistance, but I wish to be paid a little bit more in order to take care of myself and my children,” she said.
Other community health workers demanded the department to provide them with transport because they walk in bad weather conditions.
“We want permanent jobs and decent transport – we don’t want bicycles. We’ve been working on a contract basis for a long time now.
“We need to be recognised as people who are doing one of the most important jobs in this country, ” a group of workers said.
They vowed to continue their strike until health MEC Magome Masike addressed their demands.