Man selling hospital posts running a scam – health department

DESPITE the Kwazulu-natal Health Department being at the end of its recruitment process at Dr Pixley ka-isaka Seme Memorial Hospital, a man is allegedly telling people he is handing out nursing posts.

Health spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa said Human Resources denied the allegation, saying it was untrue.

According to Head of Department Dr Sandile Tshabalala, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane always said those scamming others should be discouraged and arrested. “No one in the Health Department will be hired because they paid someone,” Tshabalala said.

He said the man or men telling people they were selling nursing posts were not from the department and no posts were being sold.

Tshabalala said the department was currently filling posts and preparing for when the MEC, the premier and KZN Provincial Government would announce when the hospital would open.

“The last time I checked with infrastructure, it was at 98% ready, but there are plans to open the hospital in a phased approach.”

Tshabalala said the processes were going the right way and he felt it gave them hope that the year would not end without the hospital being opened.

Earlier this month, Simelane had said they would have a dry run today for patients where one block would be opened to take real patients. This would also be training for the newly employed at the hospital.

There was also a dry run at the hospital on May 15 so that the department could see whether the hospital floor worked well.

Simelane had also said the hospital would be opened officially in two or three months, but it had already started operating.

The Health Department had advertised the first batch of posts for the hospital at the end of last year.

In March, thousands of hopefuls had descended on the hospital, in the hope of doing well in the written assessment and being one step closer to being hired.

Simelane had revealed that more than 400 000 applicants had applied for roughly 1 500 posts, but close to half of them were clinical, meaning they were for those who had studied to a certain level.