The Citizen reports that a reply to questions by the Democratic Alliance in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) legislature has revealed that 85 staff members within the provincial department of health amassed a staggering 5,007 days of various forms of incapacity leave during just the past five months.
The figures relate to the period April to August 2018. According to KZN health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo’s reply, 79 staff had been on temporary incapacity leave for a period exceeding 30 days, with a combined total of 4,107 days off. Six staff members had been on permanent incapacity leave for 90 days in total. They were paid combined salaries of close to R2 million. The DA’s Dr Imran Keeka said on Sunday that he was “stunned by this revelation”. He said the high absenteeism was “no doubt one of the biggest contributors to the failing healthcare system in our province” and added that it was not acceptable that Dhlomo continued to cite staff shortages as an excuse. “The problem is not that there aren’t enough staff – it is the fact that so many of them aren’t at work,” Keeka opined. Despite the DA’s request for the reasons for the absences, the department failed to provide this information. Nor were the number of days off per individual provided.
- Read this report in full at The Citizen
- Read the DA’s press statement in this regard at Politicsweb
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page