Dora Nginza Hospital chief being investigated

Disgruntled staff go on strike over mismanagement claims

DORA Nginza Hospital chief executive Dr Ntombi Qangule has been placed on leave pending an investigation into allegations of mismanagement at the facility. The move has seen disgruntled hospital staff, who went on strike last week, demanding that Qangule be fired.

Provincial health department spokesman Siyanda Manana said yesterday Qangule would remain on leave until the completion of the probe.

The agreement followed the strike at the hospital on Friday, with only a skeleton staff present to attend to patients.

Doctors were also barred from doing ward rounds by striking workers.

The crisis at the hospital started two weeks ago, when the provincial portfolio committee for health went on a two-day oversight visit to the hospital.

In meetings that ran into the night, union members, doctors and nurses discussed the problems at the hospital and their complaints against Qangule.

The committee heard that the hospital was facing an exodus of doctors and an imminent strike if the complaints – highlighting extreme staff and equipment shortages – were not addressed.

In response, the department drew up a plan to address these issues that was supposed to be signed by the unions on Wednesday last week.

Manana said they were confident the bulk of the complaints would be addressed quickly, with the rest sorted out when a new staffing plan was implemented.

The labour unions at the hospital, however, refused to agree to the implementation of the plan.

Following the departure of the portfolio committee, the unions at the hospital started demanding the removal of Qangule.

A team of senior health department officials, led by labour relations expert Mfundo Myeki, was sent from Bhisho to negotiate with the unions, but they were interrupted by angry staff members blowing vuvuzelas.

Following a meeting on Friday night, union shop stewards told members that Qangule “was gone”.

Manana said this was not true, saying she was placed on leave and the department had agreed to investigate the allegations against her.

He also confirmed that the situation at Empilweni Tuberculosis Hospital in New Brighton had returned to normal after a visit to the hospital by senior health officials on Friday.

Nurses at the hospital started protesting last week because their facility had no chief executive.

Manana said following negotiations nurses returned to work.