Durban - PAYMENT for overtime work was one of the main issues which led to the disruption of services at the province’s government mortuaries, MPLs said yesterday after an assessment of facilities in the 11 KZN health districts.
Known as the Health Institutions Monitoring Programme, speaker Nontembeko Boyce commissioned the legislature to embark on inspections to determine the overall functionality of facilities under the Department of Health.
On Tuesday the team visited the Gale Street mortuary in Durban, led by health committee chairperson Nomakiki Majola, deputy speaker Mluleki Ndobe, and chairperson of committees, Themba Mthembu.
For first-time visitors, walking through the facility was an unforgettable experience as a stench greeted the MPLs and media.
The MPLs noted that the mortuary had four cold rooms which stored 32 bodies each, and 12 freezer storages for bodies that required DNA identification.
Mortuary manager Nosipho Gumede said they faced several challenges: recruitment and retention of medical staff; an unstable workforce with frequent labour unrest; staff grading challenges; infrastructure problems; overtime management; poor staff attitude; pauper’s burials; and public protector reports. In recent months mortuary employees embarked on several strikes, mainly because of the re-employment of an allegedly abusive manager.
Phoenix Mortuary was a new facility which was introduced as an intervention to address some of the challenges experienced at Gale Street Mortuary. Majola said the Phoenix Mortuary accommodated 500 bodies and they were intending on moving the service there.
The DA spokesperson on health, Dr Rishigen Viranna, said they intended making full use of the inspections after they were denied access by health MECs to perform their oversight
role.