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BusinessLive reports that the number of healthcare workers lodging claims with the Department of Labour’s (DEL’s) Compensation Fund (CF) after being infected with Covid-19 at their workplaces is increasing at an alarming rate.
The fund provides compensation to employees who are injured or contract diseases through the course of their employment and is financed by levies paid by employers. Since 18 October 2019, some R70m in benefits have been paid. More than 1,000 health-care workers have been infected with the coronavirus in SA and the number seems to be increasing in tandem with the infections. The claims come as unions last week called on public hospitals breaching Covid-19 health and safety regulations to shut down, claiming they had become breeding grounds for the spread of the virus. They berated government for not doing enough to ensure the hospitals complied with regulations to save healthcare workers' lives. According to data released by the CF on Tuesday, the largest number of claims was lodged in KwaZulu-Natal with 76, followed by the Western Cape with 75 and Gauteng with 30. On Tuesday, DEL spokesperson Teboho Thejane said the CF had “enough resources” to compensate successful claimants and that the fund was already processing claims expeditiously.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive
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