Doctors at the Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp are calling on the North West Department of Health to beef up security and hire armed security guards to protect them from criminals following a recent incident where ten of their colleagues were robbed of their belongings at gunpoint .
Dr Mpho Molema, who represents the doctors, said doctors are often intimidated and harassed by criminals and the general public.
Molema said the situation is dire taking into consideration that doctors by the nature of their work, have to work night shifts to ensure the wellbeing of patients and to also address emergency cases.
“This particular incident is not an isolated one. We have had many incidents that have happened in Tshepong, especially in the emergency department where people would come in and try to rob doctors.
“Or where you have gang members coming in with their loved ones who have been injured and forcefully dragging a doctor from another patient to attend to their family members or their loved ones,” she said.
Molema said these were all the security issues affecting the doctors and it seems the situation is getting worse given the fact that this particular incident happened on the morning of Wednesday when everyone was present.
“There were multiple patients, doctors, and nurses and the hospital was supposed to be running and patients were supposed to be attended to in a normal hospital setting. Now when we look at all the factors that have been mentioned, this year alone, we can safely say management is negligent.”
Molema said the unit in which the attack happened is adjacent to an area where there is a hole in the fence. The gaping hole has been there for the past six months.
“There is not even one officer that has been posted there, to at least make preventative measures so that people can feel safe and cared for. When you go to the Tshepong emergency department at night, people come in harassing doctors, trying to stab nurses, but there hasn’t been security personnel permanently stationed in the emergency department, and readily available to help,” she said.
The Provincial Health Department spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane, said the MEC has been to Tshepong Hospital and has spoken to security personnel because it is concerned about the safety situation at the facility.
“They [CCTVs] need to be activated, the MEC will indicate in the budget speech what the department plans with regard to such measures,” said Lekgethwane.
