Paramedics annoyed at how they learnt of Covid-19 test results

Paramedics at Dordrecht Emergency Medical Services near Komani are fuming that their coronavirus test results were shared at a meeting before they had been informed.

The EMS personnel at the Dordrecht base have stayed off work since Friday.

The father and aunt of one of their colleagues tested positive for Covid-19, necessitating that he be quarantined.

His colleagues were subsequently tested for the virus, but were found to be negative.

But it is the manner in which they found out their status that has angered the paramedics.

During a  meeting of health officials, management and staffers on Tuesday, it was announced that they had tested negative.

The tested paramedics were not present, and said they had been informed of their negative status only via WhatsApp, and then only by colleagues who were at the meeting.

SA Emergency Personnel Union Dordrecht shop steward Lunga Gigaba said: “We were surprised when the results were announced because we think the results are confidential.”

“We were told [at the meeting] all of them had tested negative,” he said.

The paramedics, who fall under the Chris Hani district municipality, said they would go back to work only once their tests results were provided to them in a sealed envelope.

The paramedics allege that their Chris Hani district manager, Collin Francis, announced the test results at the meeting and that the paramedics did not have to worry as their results were negative.

“How dare they tell a mass meeting about our results? As much as we understand no names were mentioned, their actions were wrong. The results were supposed to have been in a sealed envelope and delivered to the person in question,” one of the paramedics said.

Another said: “All they want is for us to continue working and it seems no one cares about our health. Mr Francis didn’t test. Why didn’t we get our results as individuals?”

A third said: “It was totally wrong. I thought our results were going to be e-mailed or messaged to us directly. We need our original results from the laboratory in black and white as soon as possible, please.”

Francis on Wednesday would neither deny nor confirm the allegations, saying only “I am not in a position to directly comment to the media”.

Judy Ngoloyi, spokesperson for health MEC Sindiswa Gomba, confirmed Tuesday’s meeting.

“The meeting was to address their concerns which led to them not availing themselves to respond to call-outs. They feared that since the colleague had been in contact with his family, they were at risk,” Ngoloyi said.

She said the paramedics had been tested at the weekend.

“At the meeting, the department informed the representatives that all employees who tested were all negative.

“This was done to assure them that they are at less risk from being in contact with the fellow employee.

“It is not protocol to release results to anyone else but the concerned client. The announcement yesterday didn’t mention the employees by name at all,” she said.

When asked why the employees had not been given their results, Ngoloyi did not respond.

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