The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) has called on the Presidency to consider gazetting a special consideration that will allow the Department of Health and other key ministries to fill up all vacant public services posts as a matter of urgency in order to substantially increase the size of personnel available for the national effort to combat the explosion of the COVID – 19 pandemic.

FEDUSA’s call for an urgent review of public services capacity and readiness, comes in the wake of deep concerns that current levels of staffing at public health facilities which are already struggling to cope with long queues, could easily become overwhelmed, considering the exponential increase in the number of infections that have now exceeded the 700 mark, said  FEDUSA General Secretary Riefdah Ajam. In addition, FEDUSA is appealing to the Presidency to recall retired health services personnel and attach them to regional Primary Health Care Centres throughout the country to help combat the spread of the COVID – 19 pandemic.

“FEDUSA has equally slammed calls by certain groups and would like to distance itself from calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to shut down hospitals and other health facilities. This is not only totally irresponsible but simply irrational at a time when these key institutions will have to demonstrate their ability to respond to this pandemic. For this very reason, we need all the national capacity at our disposal to contain the spread of the virus and save people’s lives as the first and most important point of call”

Issued by FEDUSA