Allegations have arisen that as many as eight children could have died due to the ongoing strike by health-care workers affiliated with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union.
JOHANNESBURG – Health Minister Joe Phaahla would not be drawn into confirming allegations that as many as eight children could have died due to the ongoing strike by health-care workers affiliated with the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu).
Phaahla did an oversight visit on Monday at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, where members of the South African National Defence Force had been deployed to assist since the hospital is one of the hardest hit by the strike.
There was also high police visibility, including that of the SAPS and the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD), who ensured that order was maintained and non-striking workers and patients were safe.
According to unconfirmed reports, about eight children have died since the inception of the wage strike, which enters its eighth day on Tuesday.
A source who spoke to the DFA’s sister publication The Star, said there were about 10 people who died at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital since the beginning of the strike.
A two-year-old boy from Katlehong also died at the hospital last week; according to his death report, he died on March 6, 2023.
A Vosloorus resident said she fetched her grandmother, who was at one of Gauteng’s hospitals, whom she said was not receiving the medical attention she was supposed to get and later died.
Last week, Phaahla confirmed that four people died due to the strike but said investigations would be conducted to find the cause of the deaths.
Phaahla said the Health Department is investigating whether the deaths of four people can be linked directly to the strike.
“We are obliged by law that if people die in hospitals there must be records, especially in a situation where there’s a likelihood of what we call unnatural in the sense that people who otherwise had medical care could have survived. So we have to have those records,” Phaahla said.
He did not guarantee whether he would share the information with the media.
“As to whether we will share the records with you (the media), that’s another question,” he said.
Phaahla further said they are obliged to have the records, and once they have established the linkage between the clinical site and the actual cause of death, at some point, that will be reconciled, and they will be able to share that with the public.
On Sunday, during a media briefing, Nehawu general secretary Zola Saphetha said the loss of lives was unfortunate.
Saphetha said they must be given space until they exercise their rights to await the conclusion of the investigation by the state; once that is done, he said, they can respond as a union.
Phaahla said they would assess as the day goes on because the report they are getting is that things have improved at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital. He said Sebokeng Hospital in the Vaal is also a priority and will get assistance from members of the SANDF.
There had been scenes of violence by some striking Nehawu members who intimidated health workers who wanted to work; there was also an incident in KwaZulu-Natal where an ambulance transporting a child was attacked.
Phaahla said the main targets who were stopped from going to work were nurses.
He said, currently, the main provinces that are affected are Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.
Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo said they are bringing everyone willing to assist, including interns, EMS personnel, and other nurses from a nearby clinic, J Dumane Clinic, which is a kilometre from Thelle Mogoerane.
“We have a shortage of nurses because most of them are members of Nehawu. Some of them stayed away from work because of the strike but not because they were intimidated,” said Nkomo.
The Labour Appeals Court on Monday ordered Nehawu to end the strike with immediate effect.
The Health Department welcomed the court judgment. The union was ordered to announce the interdict to its members by 1pm on Monday.
“We believe this judgment will bring some form of stability to health facilities across the country. This is a victory for the innocent, vulnerable, and non-unionised patients who have suffered the consequences of the disruptive and violent strike action. We also believe Nehawu will implement the judgment and inform its members to return to work as soon as possible,” said national Health Department spokesperson Forster Mohale.
Nehawu president Mike Shingange said the union is considering its legal options.
Some union members continued their demonstration after the court order.
