Durban - The National Public Service Workers Union (Npswu) alleged that no measures have been taken to stop the spread of Covid-19 at Emergency Medical Services (EMS) communications centre in Wentworth, south of Durban.
The EMS staff take down emergency calls and dispatch ambulances from the base in Dudley Street. Last week the Daily News reported that four staff had died and 19 others were infected. Yesterday,(Monday) union representative Sifiso Dlamini, stated that one more person had died bringing the total to five while twelve staff members are still receiving treatment in hospital. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health (DOH) declined to confirm these figures.
The DOH said the facility is designed to have an operational staff compliment of 30. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre has been seeing an average staff compliment of 20 (5 emergency dispatchers, 7 telephonists, 1 shift supervisor and 7 nurses). Speaking under condition of anonymity, staff claimed screening was not done daily, there was poor ventilation and the cleaners were off sick. Despite a closure and fumigation of the centre infections continued.
Staff have sanitisers and personal protective equipment in place. They claim that the centre manager is refusing to close down for fumigation.Dlamini claimed the EMS centre is becoming a spreader of Covid.
“On Monday management was supposed to arrange for staff to be tested but it did not happen. If police stations, schools and other public buildings are closed for fumigation after each infection why not this building? It is important to stop the spread. If a staff member is infected he/she spreads it to others,” Dlamini said.
A source at the EMS base said operational staff at the base stood down yesterday(monday) and said they were not going to work until the base was completely sorted out with regards to being decontaminated and/or fogged.
A spokesperson for DOH Ntokozo Maphisa said they discourage any finger-pointing or attempts to make insinuations or draw inferences regarding how and where individuals contracted the virus.
Maphisa said all staff who work at this EMS base are briefed by the shift supervisor every day and screened during the parade before the beginning of the shift. All temperature readings are recorded, while social distancing and hourly sanitizing is maintained at all times.
"The department is concerned about the impact of the second wave of coronavirus on its employees in terms of infections and fatalities, as well as the psychological toll that this is having on staff. The psychological health and general wellbeing of the department's employees are paramount and is regarded as intrinsic to their ability to discharge their duties safely, efficiently and effectively,” Maphisa said.
She said every attempt is made to maintain the cleanliness of the communications centre. A general orderly from the administrative block has been deployed as a replacement
Dlamini disputed this on Monday saying no actual cleaning of the office area had taken place.
The Daily News