Africa-Press – Lesotho. Following 40 days strike of the nurses and nursing assistants at the Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) which has seen the hospital serving them
with dismissal letters from March 12, the company which run the hospital, Tšepong Pty Ltd said it is facing financial constraints. This is per the statement realised by the hospital on Tuesday this week.
“Tšepong is financially constrained and has been struggling to meet its financial
repayment obligation…,” said the hospital Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mothepane Thahane. The statement further says: “The GoL [Government of Lesotho] is the sole funder of
the services provided by Tšepong, whereby specified services are provided for a pre-determined fee. Tšepong is therefore unable to unilaterally increase its
fees for services provided, to make it possible for Tšepong to cover the salaries demanded. ” Tšepong has further blamed the government over the “prolonged non-payment”.
The 345 expelled nurses were left behind when the government in 2012 restructured the salaries of its employed nurses. Informative Newspaper has learned that prior to 2012 the QMMH nurses were earning
higher salaries that those of their counterparts employed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and those working in under the Christian Association of Lesotho
(CHAL) health facilities. This prompted the nurses to down tools, a move which angered the hospital management
wherein it served them with the charge sheet and lodged an urged court application praying that the strike be declared null and void. Despite the Labour Court suspending the strike and charging the involved parties to find
amicable solutions to the nurses’ grievances the nurses continued to strike and dismissals were the last straw to the disgruntled health professionals.
The nurses’ grievances were also aggravated by the arrangement that they will mentor the MoH nurses who have been deployed at the QMMH to alleviate the Covid-19
patients, a moved termed as “unfair” by the Lesotho Nurses Association (LNA). According to the statement, the hospital has engaged the government to “renegotiate” the
funding model and agreement which will “accommodate the 50 percent wage increase”. The statement further noted that the arbitration which is envisaged to review the
salaries dispute is ongoing. Netcare South Africa has partnered with four companies- Afri’nnani, Excel Health, Women Investment and D 10 Investment of Lesotho in 2008 and entered into an 18 year
agreement with the Government of Lesotho (GoL) under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative to run QMMH along with Likotsi, Mabote and Qoaling filter clinics through Tšepong (Pty) Ltd consortium. QMMH hospital is a referral hospital and offers tertiary health services.
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