- At least 32 people have already died in the ongoing,
illegal, countrywide health-sector and public-service strike in South
Africa, which is causing great hardship for many public hospital patients
countrywide - who are often left without nursing care on increasingly filthy
wards. The Cosatu trade union movement and the SA communist party are
running this national strike, now in its fifth day -- even though
these two organisations are co-rulers of South Africa, together with the
African National Congress. Cosatu chairman Willie Madisha promises that
the violence-driven strike of about 150,000 public service employees
would go on 'endlessly' until the government gives in to their 12%
wage increase demands.
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- XDR-TB hospitals not affected by strike thus far?
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- Thus far there have not been any public reports that
the 40+ specialist-tuberculosis-hospitals in South Africa are being affected
by the violence-driven SA strike. At many other hospitals, including
in KwaZulu-Natal which is the epicenter of the South African XDR-TB epidemic,
nurses and doctors are often physically dragged off wards by armed striker-groups
to stop them from looking after their often critically-ill patients. Groups
of soldiers have now been posted on 24-hour guard duty at many
of these TB-hospitals.
-
- If these very aggressive, large groups of armed strikers
were to invade the three dedicated XDR-TB hospitals in South Africa
-- where many hundreds of these terminally-ill, infectious patients
are now being cared for and more arriving every day in the widening epidemic
-- it would create very serious public health risks.
-
- Reportedly the SA military has now been called in to
help protect such facilities.
- All the TB-hospitals in South Africa are run by
a government-contracted private trust which specialises and studies the
treatment of infectious diseases countrywide.
-
-
- Paramedics in Durban warn that there have been a
growing number of strike-related deaths at public hospitals such as
Addington Hospital. "Many of our members are aware that 32 patients
have already died at Addington Hospital alone since the strike began",
said one besieged paramedic.
-
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- KwaZulu-Natal Health Service Dr Busi Nyembezi didn't
deny the deaths during a press briefing in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday,
but said due to poor record keeping from the absence of striking nurses,
she didn't know what these patients may have died of.
-
- Senior provincial management of the department of health
painted a picture of chaos in several hospitals, saying they have received
reports that even mortuary staff were aggressively prevented from conducting
their duties at Pietermaritzburg's Grey's Hospital, forcing the department
to bring in private operators. In some hospitals doctors were seen cleaning
floors. Senior managers, doctors and nurses were collecting and distributing
linen in various hospitals.At Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in KZN province,
one shift of nurses were reportedly on duty for a whopping 36 hours.
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- At Edendale Hospital in KZN nurses were forced out of
the wards for the umpteenth time this week while Grey's and Northdale hospitals
remained calm except for absenteeism.
-
- Military doctors and nurses have been called up to work
at many public hospitals -- and the military is also called up to provide
protection to the police who are trying to control the violence-driven
strikers. The government yesterday also issued a public appeall for unpaid
volunteers to help patients survive in these hospitals, which are frequently
being invaded by aggressive, striking janitors, guards and junior nurses...
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- In some provinces such as the Western Cape, police have
clearly been instructed by the local governments to intervene whenever
the marching crowds become violent towards any members of the public, including
medical staff who are looking after critically-ill patients -- however
in other provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, the police just stand by
and watch it all happening...
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- Nelspruit mayor's wife Nontobeko Lukhele was injured
in the face by a rubber bullet while walking through a large crowd blocking
the entrance to the Riverside Government Complex there.
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- Police superintendent Hannes Bezuidenhout said a
group of public servants caused a clash during a protest outside the Riverside
Government Complex, which they were blocking. "They got out of
hand and we had to fire rubber bullets into the crowd to disperse them,"
said he.
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- Durban's state ambulance service ground to a halt after
paramedics transporting patients were turned away by state and private
hospitals -- they were forced to drive from hospital to hospital with often
very ill or injured patients. And to make matters worse, paramedics then
were often assaulted by the family of patients as they tried to take them
back home. On Thursday night the crews of 30 night-shift ambulances had
had enough -- they refused to work.
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- Prince Mshiyeni, King George V and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
were some hospitals that were targeted by protesters yesterday.
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- Outside King George V Hospital in Durban on Wednesday,
20 people were hurt and three union members were arrested and charged with
incitement and violation of a court order. Some nurses who said they had
been threatened with physical violence if they did not join in the strikers,
said police used stun grenades and rubber bullets on them "without
provocation."
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- LINKS:
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- http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=
15&art_id=vn20070608100951619C730444
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- http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=
15&art_id=nw20070608103601600C485666
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- http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=1
5&art_id=nw20070608120016824C501069
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- http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=
1&click_id=13&art_id=iol1181282552932A514
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