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The note states that no health care will be supplied at the facility between 17:00 and 07:00.

Crime forces nurses to stop working at night

 

The Democratic Nursing Organization of South Africa (Denosa) in Limpopo are appealing to community members to help them stop crimes that are happening at health facilities.

Denosa’s provincial secretary, Mr Cornwell Khoza, confirmed that there are clinics and health centres that are no longer operating during the night, because of criminal acts that are targeted at nurses.

Limpopo Mirror previously reported that several health facilities in Vhembe were no longer operating after hours. It followed after several complaints were received from community members who were turned away by security officers while attempting to get access to the facilities for medical attention during the night.

At Mutale Health Centre, there was no one responding to patients who needed medical attention at the gate, except a note stating that from 1 April 2018, the facility will only operate from 07:00 until 17:00 every day.

Khoza said that the increase in incidents of criminal activities at clinics and health facilities in Vhembe and Mopani prompted this decision. “Since 2015 and 2016, our nurses were attacked and robbed while working night shifts. In some incidents, even security guards were also attacked and robbed of their firearms at our facilities,” he said.

Following these incidents, nurses at some facilities stopped operating after hours for fear of their lives. “The department also understand that they can’t force people to work under these life-threatening conditions,” said Khoza.

The spokesperson for the Department of Health in Limpopo, Mr Thabiso Tefo, confirmed that they are busy discussing the security challenges at health facilities with Denosa. “It is true that some of our nurses, especially in Vhembe, have been attacked by criminals while operating at night. We are busy talking with the union about this issue and a range of other concerns. We hope that our negotiations will be concluded soon so that our community can get the service that they deserve,” said Tefo.

Tefo said that he is not aware that there are facilities that are not operating during the night. “We are aware of the challenges, but it is wrong for patients to be turned away when they reach our facilities. We will do our investigations, and if we confirm that there are facilities that are turning people away, steps will be taken,” said Tefo.

Meanwhile, Khoza urged community members to work with the police and the department to make sure that criminals who are terrorizing nurses are exposed and brought to book. “Our nurses are ready to work 24 hours. The challenge is crime, but there are some facilities that are operating during the night. They are just taking a risk to help the community,” said Khoza.

Other challenges that need to be addressed is the lack of staff.  According to Khoza, the department’s policy states that there must be two mid-wife nurses and a cleaner at a facility during the night. “But in many cases you will find that there is only one nurse manning the whole facility during the night which is wrong. This is wrong because the same nurse must take care of the mother who is delivering and her baby at the same time, which is highly impossible. The same nurse is also expected to clean the floor as there are no cleaners allocated during the night. The problem is that if the mother or child die during the delivery process, the Nursing Council will challenge the same nurse on why he or she agreed to work alone,” said Khoza.

Khoza said that he is happy that the department has advertised several positions for cleaners early this month.

News - Date: 20 April 2018

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Ndivhuwo Musetha

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