"For some of us in medicine, everything is urgent. The issue is that transporting the tests to the private labs is a challenge. Getting results is a challenge," he said.
"Some of the private labs in smaller places don't have the capacity to deal with large numbers of tests," he said. Clinicians needed to get results very quickly.
"The further away from a big centre you are, the more difficult it is to get the results."
He said that the NHLS generally provided a "great service", but, "because [the tests] go to a private lab, there is a delay in how often they collect the samples".
'Non-committal' agreement
The striking workers are demanding a salary adjustment of 7.3%, a housing allowance of R2 000 a month, and a shift allowance of R50, or 45% of their hourly rate – whichever is the greater.
They also want more staff to be insourced.
Xaba said that the NHLS had previously agreed to the salary increase, but not fully to the other demands
"They agreed on the 7.3%, but on the other issues they did not. You could say they were non-committal."
He said the strike would continue on Friday, while the talks were underway.
News24 could not reach NHLS executive director Professor Shabir Madhi for comment on Friday morning before the talks began.
Madhi had previously said the NHLS had offered the strikers a 7.3% salary increase with effect from April 1, 2017, and the implementation of insourcing from April 2018.
He said the laboratory service would be unable to insource security, cleaning and maintenance personnel immediately as demanded by workers.
News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/lab-strike-causing-delays-for-essential-tests-20170728
"Some of the private labs in smaller places don't have the capacity to deal with large numbers of tests," he said. Clinicians needed to get results very quickly.
"The further away from a big centre you are, the more difficult it is to get the results."
He said that the NHLS generally provided a "great service", but, "because [the tests] go to a private lab, there is a delay in how often they collect the samples".
'Non-committal' agreement
The striking workers are demanding a salary adjustment of 7.3%, a housing allowance of R2 000 a month, and a shift allowance of R50, or 45% of their hourly rate – whichever is the greater.
They also want more staff to be insourced.
Xaba said that the NHLS had previously agreed to the salary increase, but not fully to the other demands
"They agreed on the 7.3%, but on the other issues they did not. You could say they were non-committal."
He said the strike would continue on Friday, while the talks were underway.
News24 could not reach NHLS executive director Professor Shabir Madhi for comment on Friday morning before the talks began.
Madhi had previously said the NHLS had offered the strikers a 7.3% salary increase with effect from April 1, 2017, and the implementation of insourcing from April 2018.
He said the laboratory service would be unable to insource security, cleaning and maintenance personnel immediately as demanded by workers.
News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/lab-strike-causing-delays-for-essential-tests-20170728