SADTU SUPPORTS SAMATU’S MARCH FOR BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) fully supports the South African Medical Association Trade Union (SAMATU) in their march to the National Treasury in Pretoria, calling for better working conditions in the healthcare sector. SAMATU’s march seeks urgent government intervention in critical issues affecting the sector, including the plight of unemployed medical doctors, severe staff shortages, and the urgent need for improved infrastructure and security at healthcare facilities.
The government must act swiftly to address these concerns, as healthcare professionals are the backbone of the country’s health system. Healthcare is a fundamental human right, and this right cannot be realised without healthcare workers. If South Africa is committed to ensuring a functional and effective healthcare sector, decisive measures must be taken to support these workers. Healthcare professionals cannot continue to work under deteriorating conditions that compromise their ability to provide quality care to citizens.
SADTU stands in solidarity with SAMATU and reiterates that an injury to one is an injury to all. Public servants, including health workers, are suffering under the burden of austerity measures that have led to severe budget cuts. These cuts have crippled the country’s ability to provide quality healthcare. Hundreds of doctors have joined the ranks of the unemployed, while those still employed are overburdened with excessive workloads, leading to burnout. Hospitals and clinics remain unsafe workplaces due to inadequate security, as seen in the recent horrifying attack where nurses were accosted and raped at a clinic in Limpopo.
We, therefore, call on the government to increase the health budget, as healthcare is a critical service that must not be neglected. We urge our members and the broader working class to support SAMATU’s demands, as it is the poor and working-class communities who suffer the most due to the underfunding and deterioration of public health services.
ISSUED BY: SADTU National Secretariat