85 health workers run up 5 000 days sick leave in five months
EIGHTY-five employees from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health have amassed more than 5 000 days of “sick leave” in less than five months.
In a reply to parliamentary questions by the DA earlier this month, the department revealed that between April and August, 79 employees had been on temporary incapacity leave for more than 30 days each, with a combined total of 4 107 days off. Six others had been on permanent incapacity leave for 90 days. They were all still being paid combined salaries of close to R2 million.
DA Health spokesperson Dr Imran Keeka said he was “stunned”.
“MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo continues to cite staff shortages as an excuse for the failing state of the department. The problem is not that there aren’t enough staff – it’s the fact that so many of them aren’t at work,” Keeka said.
In terms of temporary incapacity leave, the reply revealed that the worst-affected hospitals in the province were:
● Prince Mshiyeni Hospital: nine staff – 496 days.
● Mandeni Regional Hospital: seven staff – 359 days.
● Greytown District Hospital: five staff – 306 days.
● King Edward VIII Hospital: five staff – 301 days.
“These are all very busy hospitals which serve thousands of people. The absence of just one staff member is going to have a ripple effect,” Keeka said.
“The result, quite simply, is more work for fewer staff. This has the potential to increase medico-legal claims, overtime work for other staff and ultimately poorer patient care. The problem with the response is that it covers hospitals only and I don’t understand why other facilities, like clinics, were left out,” he said. The reply also stated that service delivery issues were dealt with by supervisors by rescheduling rosters and shifts.
The department had failed to provide reasons for the absenteeism, despite a request from the DA.
In response to similar questions in 2016, the department had provided answers with names, personnel numbers and reasons for absence. “These are individuals employed by the provincial government using taxpayers’ money.”
As far as the DA was concerned. they must be held answerable for receiving salaries while not working and for not reporting to work for extended periods, even if this is for illness.
The provincial secretary of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, Mandla Shabangu, said they had noticed the number of days their members were absent.
“Our problem is that there is a perception that managers and other public servants cannot get sick, and that is wrong.
“These people, especially our members, are exposed to all sorts of health-threatening situations. If your prognosis requires that you stay at home for two months, the employer should not delay approving temporary boarding for those two months,” Shabangu said.