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Rose Gudlhuza, ID MPL in the Gauteng Legislature, says that ‘many hospital staff in the Province have zero understanding of the principles of Batho Pele.'

Gudlhuza was responding to reports that a woman sent her child to a hospital for treatment of burn wounds on her hands, but the child's legs ended up being amputated.

‘Swift and decisive action must be taken against the staff members responsible. We need to set an example to all other hospital staff that negligence and mistreatment of patients will not be tolerated in Gauteng Province,' Ms Gudlhuza says.

‘Hospital staff that treat patients with such contempt are not human resources, but major human liabilities in the health system. They must be removed from the system altogether and never again be given an opportunity to return.'

Gudluza also expressed shock at the incident where Yasser Marere, a Zimbabwean businessman, had to search through 40 dead babies to find his child at Johannesburg Coronation Hospital. The mother alleges that hospital staff prevented her from seeing the child after they informed her that the newborn had died.

‘In recent times the veneration that we once had for nurses has started to dissipate, because of the bad treatment we receive at the hands of some of our nurses in our public hospitals,' says Gudlhuza.

‘While we welcome the appointment of the task team to investigate the amputation case, we are more interested in outcomes. If experience teaches the Democrats of the ID anything, then it is that these task teams are often just smokescreens that act like the problem is being dealt with.

‘The Public healthcare system in the province is in crisis and most unfortunately we have yet to see any concrete plans from MEC Qedani Mahlangu aimed at remedying the current situation. There is complacency at all levels of staff in the system and zero accountability measures,' Gudlhuza says.