The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in the North West notes with great concern that the board chairperson of Taung Hospital had an interview on a national radio station and declared that nurses of Taung Hospital are guilty of ill-treating patients and the community of Taung.
He seems to be a bystander who awaits negative allegations towards the NW Department of Health employees who are also part of the community. He continuously causes hatred and mistrust between the nurses and the community. By virtue of being a board member, his main role is to create a conducive and harmonious environment between the department, in this regard Taung Hospital, and the community but instead, he is the one stirring havoc and unrests between the two parties.
He feels he is above the law or a law unto himself. He advocates for his own personal interests and not the interest of the community and the department.
As DENOSA, we wonder how long the department will proudly house such an abusive candidate in the name of hospital board chairperson who continuously bring the department into disrepute by his utterances and lack of respect to journalism ethics. The first attack to the nurses by him was left unattended, and that is why he sees the opportunity to attack the nurses again but that was not the case.
We waited for fair processes to unfold so that when we comment we comment based on facts. He chose to comment on baseless information which is a difference between him and us. The questions one would ask are: what kind of oversight is he performing? Is this part of an individual training he got? This is because his conduct, after being inducted, is highly questionable.
This is highly disturbing and disappointing because his role is to ensure that there is a bridge between the community and the department, and also to ensure seamless delivery of healthcare services, while we do not condone irresponsible behaviour from nurses and we have high expectations of them to display high levels of professionalism and care in carrying out their daily Nursing duties.
Our main concern is that the board chairperson seems to not know and understand his job. This is brought by our understanding that the board chairperson has no right to discipline or instruct employees of Taung Hospital. The second part is that the constitution of South Africa is clear that any accused is innocent until proven guilty. If he knew his job then he would know that every complaint/alleged misconduct must be investigated and outcomes with recommendations must be acted upon.
He has displayed total disregard and disrespect to procedure and to the executive in the Department. This behaviour makes us to wonder if he was ever inducted or trained for this crucial position
Moreover, the board chairperson speaks of nursing council cases which we know he is utterly lying about. For us as DENOSA North West, this board chairperson is instigating and mobilizing the community against the hospital and its employees, nurses in particular.
And this will give rise to incidents of attacks on nurses and it will never be allowed while we exist.
The board chairperson must know we have an understanding that there was investigations on both cases and we still to see the outcomes of those processes.
We also want to make him aware that in the Thandi Modise case there were also complains of harassment from our members thus we are waiting for the investigation outcomes.
We call on the MEC of Health to remove this board chairperson or he must do the honourable thing and resign. He has brought the Department into disrepute and he is propagating anarchy.
End
Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in North West province.
For more information, contact:
Motlalepule Maikepa, Provincial Chairperson.
Mobile: 076 673 1172
Mziwakhe Seleka, Deputy Provincial Chairperson.
Mobile: 071 117 5843