Gauteng DA calls for decisive measures against non-payment of assistant health workers

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called on Premier Panyaza Lesufi to take decisive measures regarding the non-payment of about 1 000 healthcare workers.

The party says doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers have not been paid for more than six weeks. It says the workers were brought in to assist hospitals at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Their contracts expired at the end of March, but they were retained to assist with the patient overload in Gauteng public hospitals.

DA Member of the Gauteng Legislature, Jack Bloom, says the department must intervene.

“It’s unfair that they go without money after so long after spending stressful days in the hospital. It’s another disaster for the Health Department. We simply can’t seem to pay suppliers and staff on time. This is why we had a shortage of food at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. It seems the Gauteng Health is very bad at paying people.”

Pickets 

The R600-million COVID-19 Compensation of Employees Budget that was allocated to the Gauteng Health Department for the 2022/23 financial year has since sparked discontent among admin and support staff hired on the COVID-19 contract.

The staffers held a picket outside the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital on March 29 after they were informed by their managers that the budget will not be enough to retain all of them.

Senior Reporter Ofentse Setimo elaborates in the report below: