Worried about their safety, staff at Montebello Hospital downed tools and left the hospital with the gates closed. But, says a Groundup report, in this case, the trigger for the action was not COVID-19, but fear of local protests by residents demanding jobs at the hospital. “Outside we are scared of the community and inside we are at risk by working under appalling conditions. The hospital is not taking (adequate) safety precautions when dealing with COVID-19 patients,” said a staff member who has been working at the hospital since 2016.
The report says the hospital in Ozwathini, about an hour outside Pietermaritzburg, closed after local residents protested for two weeks. Patients were moved to Stanger Hospital. Some were moved by family members. Others were discharged.
Residents have been demanding jobs as cleaners, groundsmen and kitchen staff since 2015. Staff are quoted in the report as saying that the protests turned violent and workers were blocked from entering the hospital. The main access road was blocked with trees, rubbish and stones. A section of the tar road was dug up to stop vehicles traversing it.
“We were receiving threats every day when coming to work. It became worse last week. The community has become violent. They have been camping outside the hospital since last week. Workers were not allowed to go inside the hospital. We had to find ways of getting inside and going out,” said a staff member.
The report quotes a protester as saying the hospital will remain closed until the department and the hospital management listen to them.
[link url="https://www.groundup.org.za/article/kzn-hospital-shut-down-patients-evacuated/"]Full Groundup report[/link]