The NCRHA says it is moving to reform its Patient Escort and Hospital Attendant Services.
It claims the current administration encountered routine operational challenges, as well as “an entrenched culture of indiscipline and non-performance, compounded by reports of gangsterism, intimidation and alleged gang affiliation, alongside widespread absenteeism, late-coming and disobedience”.
In a statement it says:
With over four hundred (400) employees across Patient Escort and Hospital Attendant Services, a
comprehensive internal review identified:
o Reports and allegations of bullying, intimidation, extortion, threats and alleged gang affiliation;
o Daily absenteeism reportedly ranging between 30 and 50 per cent;
o Persistent late-coming and departure before the completion of shifts;
o Disobedience of legitimate instructions and, in some instances, refusal to transport patients;
o Frequent delays in patient transfers
o Serious deficiencies in recruitment, screening and compliance with established employment requirements.
“Of particular concern, a significant proportion of personnel had been hired without satisfying the stipulated qualifications for their positions and/or without providing required documentation, including Police Certificates of Good Character. Among one group of 69 employees reviewed, only five had submitted the required certificate. These findings raise serious questions about the recruitment, screening and hiring practices that existed prior,” adds the statement.
The NCRHA says consequences were felt directly by patients, adding that several disciplinary matters are currently under investigation.
Action being pursued, which it believes is already producing results as attendance has improved significantly, while the time taken to transport patients from one area of the hospital to another has been drastically reduced.
