Christina Goldbaum
ABOUT 200 people gathered yesterday to protest against the lack of security for doctors and other health care workers in Khayelitsha.
The protest, organised by the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), was triggered by the death of Michael Aluko, an obstetrician working at the Khayelitsha Hospital and Khayelitsha Health Centre in Site B.
Originally from Nigeria, Aluko was on night duty last month at the Site B Day Hospital when he went to buy food at a nearby garage.
He was hijacked there and shot twice. His body was left in the Macassar cemetery.
“He was always pleasant to work with and quite interactive with his patients,” said Dr Adenoje Abeniji, a close friend. “People liked to work with him, he had a full heart.”
Protesters gathered in memory of Aluko outside the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court holding white signs with red and black words reading: “Justice must prevail”.
After an address by Fanie Fontein, a family physician at the Khayelitsha Hospital, about the safety concerns of Khayelitsha doctors, the protesters delivered a memorandum to Yayi Velilne, the court manager, which stated: “Doctors are an essential human resource in providing quality health care to all in our communities. Communities have a responsibility to ensure doctors are safe and protected.”
The memorandum said the murder of health professionals in Khayelitsha could discourage potential applicants from applying for vacant physician posts in the area.
“Staff members were held at gun and knife point in Khayelitsha just near the court a few weeks after Michael was killed,” Fontein said. “Staff are still not feeling safe.”
Fontein hoped the protest would result in higher police visibility “such as police vehicles in high risk areas and during hospital shift changes.”
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was also present to urge increased safety at hospitals and clinics in the area. Though no MSF staff have been killed, Iain Watermeyer of MSF said the violence had affected their work environment.“We have to make sure when we get to work that everyone is accounted for. Many of our staff also work in Khayelitsha, so their safety is always a concern.”
Protesters also had concerns over the way the police responded to Aluko’s murder.
Ntomboxolo Mue of TAC accused the police of dragging their feet.
The demands listed in the memorandum include regular communications between the courts and victims’ families, more effective communication between investigating officers and prosecutors, and that Khayelitsha residents be served by magistrates and prosecutors who understand the living and crime conditions in Khayelitsha.
Police had not commented by the time of going to press.