Hermanus Medi-Clinic not supplying staff with safety gear

LAND Party is horrified to have received complaints from staff at the Hermanus Medi-Clinic that they are not being issued with masks or gloves to protect them whilst on duty. They have been told that this may cause alarm amongst patients that COVID-19 is in the hospital.

The truth is that patients have been tested for COVID-19 in the hospital and the results have been positive. Why are Medi-Clinic not providing their staff with adequate safety gear? Why are they trying to underplay the fact that they have had positive test results returned? Is it because they make more money if they do more tests and make even more money once a person is sick?

LAND Party would like some answers from Medi-Clinic to these questions because taken at face value, it would seem that they are focusing on their bottom line and putting the lives of their staff, and the public, at risk in the process.

Mr Joubert from Medi-Clinic has been contacted and explained that only staff in contact with possible COVID-19 cases were issued with safety gear as the hospital felt it was unwarranted for all staff to have masks.

The staff feel vulnerable and rightly so. We have all been told not to wear masks unless we are sick as they do not prevent us from getting COVID-19 and we should save the masks for medical personnel.

Medical personnel need to wear these masks because they are being exposed constantly on a daily basis. If cleaners at the mall can be issued with masks you would think that staff at a private hospital would be too. END