Health Minister Joe Phaahla Thursday called on police to intervene after highlighting that striking practitioners are now stopping their peers from attending to patients.
Because of that, some have died.
“We received accounts from hospital management in various regions, casualties, theatres, various ICU wards, both adults and children ICU wards who were giving us very horrendous stories of how they struggled to get in to save lives,” said Phaala.
The health minister added that his department his taking legal action after four deaths were reported due to inadequate heath care linked to the strikes.
To address the dilapidating health care, provincial health authorities have turned to the courts to stop striking workers from disrupting care within hospitals.
Mlungisi Ndlovu, a member of the Public Service Association, a South African trade union said members of their organization that are not striking are being intimidated by their peers.
“Our members are unable to access many of the workplaces,” said Ndlovu.
“We find that in some of the institutions they have been forcefully removed,” he added.
Mzikayise Tshontshi, the provincial secretary of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) said it their constitutional right to strike and called on government to address their grievances.
“From where we are standing, we are still met with arrogance by a government that does not care about workers, and it is our position that this strike must continue unabated until this government takes a decision to listen,” said Tshontshi.
