.Durban - LABOUR unions and political parties have called on the KwaZuluNatal Department of Health to provide a detailed report about its decision to move Durban’s Addington Hospital.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu made the announcement last week during an online session of parliament’s portfolio committee on co-operative governance and traditional affairs.
Simelane-Zulu attributed the proposed move to the hospital’s ageing infrastructure issues, especially the continuous breakdown of the lifts because of the hospital’s location on the beachfront.
“Addington (Hospital) is located just opposite the sea, in an area that is close to the hotels and it is a facility that is eight storeys high.
“The salt air that comes from the ocean affects our lifts continuously. The rust in the lifts is what has been affecting them.
“As a result, we are looking at options of moving the hospital away and building a structure that will be manageable and friendly to patients,” said Simelane-Zulu.
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) said it did not agree that the infrastructural damages at the hospital were the result of the sea air.
Denosa provincial secretary Mandla Shabangu said they were extremely shocked by Simelane-Zulu’s comment, adding that they should have been consulted because the move would inconvenience communities and their members.
“We are waiting for the department to formally present its intention to us as stakeholders on the relevant platform, where we will then engage on the plan from there,” he said.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said it had requested an urgent meeting with the MEC to get a full report on the issue.
Nehawu’s Ayanda Zulu said the relocation would have a major impact on workers, adding that such decisions should be taken after broad consultation with the unions.
“The union has always been concerned with the state of the infrastructure in that hospital, however, the decision to move the hospital without consulting with us is problematic.
“The government promised us to refurbish King Edward but the hospital is still there with bad infrastructure,” said Zulu.
The IFP’s provincial spokesperson for health, Ncamisile Nkwanyana, said they were confused about how the department was blaming salt air as the main reason for the infrastructure collapse and the non-functioning lifts at the hospital.
“There are so many hotels on the beachfront that are also tall, taller than the hospital but they don’t complain about their lifts. This does not make any sense at all and it’s just a very bad excuse,” Nkwanyana said.
She said that if the hospital was moved, the department should provide them with full details of where it would relocate the hospital, the budget and the time frame.
“We are also anticipating corruption in this matter so we want everything to be made public including the awarding of the tender,” Nkwanyana said.
Dr Rishigen Viranna, the DA KZN spokesperson on health, described the MECs comment as “ridiculous”.
“The DA regards the MEC’s remarks as little more than a red herring to distract from both her and the department’s complete lack of regard for maintaining this vital infrastructure.”
He argued the hospital was surrounded by numerous high-rise hotels and blocks of flats, none of which had problems of this magnitude with their lifts.
“We also expect that the MEC report to the KZN legislature health portfolio committee regarding her department’s plan in terms of both the current and future infrastructure plans for the hospital.”
The Mercury