Doctors union concerne about safety in state institutions

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The SA Medical Association Trade Union says its becoming increasingly dangerous for doctors working in South Africa.

The Association was commenting following a recent report quoting the World Health Organisation which said a staggering 53 million cases of "needle-stick injuries" were reported in South Africa.

SAMA trade union president, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, says these "needle-stick" injuries place medical professionals at risk of contracting diseases such as HIV/Aids and Hepatitis.

She adds that the current epidemic of Ebola shows how doctors and health professionals in general save lives while risking our own.

Dr Ramathuba says while they're unsure about the accuracy of the statistics on needle pricks, she says it is an opportunity to highlight the difficult conditions under which their members have to work.

Ramahtuba also highlighted numerous criminal incidents in state hospitals, including doctors being killed on duty, female doctors raped and robberies which she says have become a common occurrence in hospital residences.

She told Algoa FM News that at times it seems like they're working in a war zone.

"Healthcare is human resource intensive, and without healthcare professionals there will be no healthcare system. State of the art facilities will become white elephants without health professionals to run them. Similarly, expensive but obsolete technologies add no value without health professionals and a health system that mistreats its own healthcare professionals will die," said Ramathuba.