South Africa: Junior doctors plan protest march

South Africa: Junior doctors plan protest march
By Collins Atohengbe, Pretoria

Members of the Junior Doctors Association of South Africa (JUDASA) have declared June 15, 2011 a national day of mourning, in reaction to an incident in which a doctor was stabbed to death by a patient on Tuesday.

The patient escaped but was later arrested on Wednesday evening at Mhluzi Township near Middelburg.  

The doctors will be taking to the streets to protest the brutal murder of their colleague and also use the occasion to demand for improved security at public hospitals where a number of doctors have suffered molestations and violent attacks by patients.

The victim

The victim, Dr Senzosenkosi Mkhize, was stabbed to death while attending to another patient. The assailant was said to have also wounded a security man at the hospital gate before he escaped.

JUDASA has called on all doctor s who are concerned about the safety of their lives and general well-being to join in the march which will take them to the country’s parliament in Cape Town, the Union Buildings in Pretoria and the Provincial Legislature in Durban.

A spokesperson for the association, Dr Tende Makofane, said they welcomed the arrest of the culprit but said that the doctors had run out of patience over the incessant attacks on them at public hospitals, particularly being murdered, raped and mugged.

He called on members of the public to support these marches and not allow another of the already few doctors to be slain, as this would adversely affect health care delivery.

Security measures

In response to the incident, the Premier of Mpumalanga Province, David Mabuza, has directed the departments of health and social development, education, safety, security and public works to meet and work out a review of existing security measures at all health facilities with a view to improving on them.
The provincial government has vehemently condemned the killing and says it will come up with a plan to prevent future occurrences of this nature.

Ekata