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Young nurses working in Gauteng have not been paid for three months and Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) has condemned the provincial health department for treating them with disdain.
Denosa’s Gauteng chairperson, Simphiwe Gada, said the provincial health department’s conduct was inhumane and heartless.
“This is despite having several engagements with the department and bringing the matter to the attention of Premier David Makhura,” Gada said.
He said the department was currently planning massive retrenchments of nurses in a province with a serious shortage of nurses and huge health demands.
“This clearly shows that we are dealing with a confused leadership in this provincial government, which indicates left but turns right. How will this government justify the retrenchments while its own National Development Plan speaks about hiring more health workers in order to realise the National Health Insurance and meet the health demands of this province,” Gada said.
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Denosa will hold a briefing on Sunday to response to the “continuous disdain and instigation” by the provincial health. “We will release evidence to the public on why we have concluded that this department hates nurses and is not ashamed to end Youth Month hurting young people by not paying them their overdue salaries.
“At the briefing we will also be outlining the organisation’s programme of action in defence of the young nurses who are subjected to slavery by the department,” Gada said.
The Gauteng health department blames administrative challenges for the unpaid salaries.
Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said all the post community service nurses and the community service nurses under its employ who have not been paid will be receiving their salaries by Monday.
“Due to administrative challenges and the delays in processing relevant mandates just over 50 employees were affected. 45 employees will be paid on Monday with the exception of seven others whose mandates need to be corrected from the institutions they are based at. Their salaries will be processed as a matter of urgency once the administrative issued are addressed.
"We can further confirm that there are no nurses that are going to be retrenched. The department will be appointing into its service the 2021/2022 post community service nurses. Already, of the 811 people, 84 have been permanently appointed as of April 2022. The process to appoint the remaining cohort is underway,” Modiba said.
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