MEDIA STATEMENT.
Monday, 2 December 2024.
KIMBERLEY โ The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in Northern Cape condemns in the strongest terms the stabbing of a patient at the Galeshewe Day Hospital on Sunday, 1st December 2024, at about 08h30 in the morning, which has left staff, patients, and community members severely traumatised.
We believe that health facilities are places where our communities should have an assurance of safety when visiting them. But this incident has once again raised numerous questions about the departmentโs commitment to ensuring that adequate security measures are in place at the health facilities in the province.
DENOSA Northern Cape has been asking these questions at all levels in the department, including the chambers, where we requested 24 hours operational plan, especially on security upgrades and additional measures. But, unfortunately, there has been no effort from the department to ensure that adequate security is available at the health facilities.
This incident reminds us of the fatal shooting that took place at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital on the 25th of September 2024, when a 38-year-old male was shot in his hospital bed, instantly killing him. It also reminds us of the countless nurses who are either physically or verbally abused daily while on duty. Most of these incidents go unreported, and when they are reported, the steps taken by the NC DOH remains questionable.
We are also appalled that outsourced security personnel are expected to render a service without equipment that will enable them to protect themselves as well as the staff and communities at our health facilities. This places these security personnel at an immediate risk of being severely injured or even killed.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) has never been a priority to the NC DOH, which is clear because of the non-existent of OHS committees in health facilities or district and provincial offices. DENOSA has been advocating for the establishment of these committees at all levels in the department, but these cries have been falling on deaf ears. Because of their reluctance to deal with OHS matters in the workplace, the department is unable to provide reports on OHS measures in the workplace or able to implement policies related to OHS.
DENOSA NC believes that the senior officials in the department should be held directly accountable for this incident as they have not been ensuring the safety of our members and the communities they serve. DENOSA raised the question of security, amongst other things, before the opening of the casualty unit at the Galeshewe Day Hospital as we believed that not enough was done, and still isnโt, by the NC DOH to ensure the safety of staff and the community members that will be frequenting the facility.
This incident is clear evidence of our concerns. We therefore demand that additional trained security be placed at all health facilities in the province and that theses security personnel be trained and equipped with the necessary deterrent equipment that will enable them to protect themselves and our members and communities against the criminal element that attempts to cause chaos in the health facilities in the province.
END.
Issued by DENOSA in Northern Cape.
For more information please contact:
Gilbert Sak
DENOSA NC Provincial Chairperson
Mobile: 072 472 9132.
Dimpho Disipi
DENOSA NC Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 071 634 1522
