REFILWE GAESWE
The Free State health department failed to pay striking doctors on Thursday despite their promise.
Spokesperson Tebogo Oepeng said on Wednesday that they were prioritizing the matter that they will pay the salaries they owed to some doctors for several months today. He said only sessional doctors contracted by the department – who are paid per session and are not permanent doctors – were affected. Oepeng said around 60% of them will receive a once-off payment on Thursday.
However, civil rights group Afriforum Johann Hattingh said that the department has allegedly not contacted any of the doctors.
“We received personal information that none of the doctors has been paid as of yet, despite the promise that was made by the department that they will be paid on Thursday. It is the third time that they have been promised to be paid on a certain day and the payment didn’t happen. The doctors maintain their stance that they will keep on striking until they get their payment. Doctors from Welkom, Wesselsbron and Hoopstad due to non-payment, so they are still left in the dark on when and how they will be paid,” said Hattingh.
It said district hospitals in Welkom, Hoopstad and Wesselsbron had the same problem. When Oepeng was contacted by Bloemfontein Courant, he refused to comment.
