MK Party holds protest at Inkosi Albert Luthuli hospital
A SAPS officer gives feedback to the MK Party leadership.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers
Security was increased at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH) on Monday as the MK Party made claims of mismanagement at the hospital.
The MK Labour Desk, KZN Health Portfolio Committee member Pearl Gasa and MK Party Member of Parliament and Employment and Labour Portfolio Committee member Nkosentsha Shezi were part of the grouping.
Although the hospital's CEO, Linda Mtshali, did not address the protestors, an internal memorandum and circular minute were handed over to the party which referred to Circular G89/2017, which outlines the protocol to be followed for institutional and/or district visits by political functionaries.
The KZN Department of Health had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
“If there is nothing wrong with the operations of the hospital, why would you block transparency? If the hospital is functioning as normal and as good as it should be, in line with the Batho Pele principles, why wouldn’t you allow a person like me to come in and expose that? All I went in to do was to expose what is actually happening in the hospital,” Shezi said.
MK Party members sang and danced at the gates of Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital while waiting for feedback from management.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers
Shezi explained that after a four-hour deadlock of back-and-forth, he invoked 'Section 55 of the Constitution, which mandates Members of Parliament to do an unannounced visit wherever State funds are utilised'.
Inside the hospital, he turned to one of the wards and asked for ward management.
“One of the discoveries that I got was the fact that the IALCH has a shortage of nurses. Nurses who have resigned, or gone on retirement, or posts that should have been created by attrition, are not replaced,” Shezi said. “The person I was speaking to said they have a shortage of around 100 nurses. When they inquire about those posts, they are told that there is no budget.”
South African Police Service, Durban Metro Police and hospital security were on high alert.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers
Earlier, Mlungisi Zondi of the National MK Labour Desk said that over recent weeks, IALCH employees complained about how they were being treated.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za
Members of the MK Party gathered at the gates of Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, singing and dancing as they awaited an update from the management.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers