Hundreds of Eastern Cape nurses accused the provincial department of health of prioritising tenders for building contracts ahead of employing the post-community service nursing professionals.
About 500 post-community service nursing professionals picketed outside the provincial offices of the department of health demanding that the department absorb 634 post-community service nursing professionals whose contracts are coming to an end at the end of this month.
One of the picketers Nomvo Makata said it is clear that through the building of a R300-million hospital in Mbizana, as well as an R8-million project to erect a fence at a mental hospital, the department is prioritising the tenders for relatives and friends.
Makata said: “This is all for their own gains and for votes because the ANC wants to look good in the eyes of the voters. They do things to look good in the eyes of the public not because they care. If they cared, they wouldn’t abandon us here and refuse to employ us.
“When they open a new hospital, they go and cut ribbons and tell people about the new hospital, but they don’t draw any attention to employing people.”
Makata said the protestors have vowed to picket outside the offices of the department until they were offered new contracts.
Andisile Pampilana, chairman of the nurses union Denosa in the Chris Hani region, said it makes no sense for the province to build new hospitals and clinics when they cannot employ staff to work in those institutions.
“What this tells us is that, this is just all about tenders because those services that are meant for communities won’t be rendered,” said Pampilana.
Cosatu’s Eastern Cape Young Workers convener Mosuli Cwele said the provincial government does not take the problems of the health department seriously.
“We have seen this department’s problems on our televisions a number of times, but even today we are still here saying the same thing,” said Cwele.
Yonela Dekeda, spokesperson for the health department in the province, said it will cost the department up to R1-billion to absorb post-community service nursing professionals and Covid-19 contract workers whose contracts were terminated at the end of December in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng department of health has renewed the contracts of Baragwanath Hospital healthcare professionals who have been protesting following the department’s plan to terminate their contracts.
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