Dengue fever is currently raging and certain regions of the island are being fumigated, especially those most affected. However, according to trade unionist Radhakrishna Sadien, twelve Insecticide Sprayer Operator positions have not been filled. And, because of this situation, employees from other departments are mobilized as reinforcements for fumigation operations.
The trade unionist does not hide his anger over this situation. Radhakrishna Sadien deplores that no lessons have been learned from the covid-19 pandemic. “The recruitment exercise for twelve Insecticide Sprayer Operators has been delayed. And the Ministry of Health had to request the help of sprayers from the Ministry of Agro-industry,” says Radhakrishna Sadien.
According to the unionist, this situation continues, despite the request from the Government Services Employees Association to recruit staff. “The ministry has decided to suspend recruitment, pending amendment to the Scheme of Service, which has worsened the situation. With the dengue epidemic, we are doing firefighting,” says our interlocutor.
Radhakrishna Sadien recommends that actions be taken for staff recruitment. He also calls for strengthening the workforce at the airport and the port, among others. “We saw what happened during covid-19. More staff is needed, so as not to face difficult situations. He notes that Mauritius depends heavily on tourism. »
The trade unionist will send this Monday, February 12, a correspondence which addresses this issue to the Ministry of Health. He also intends to discuss the lack of personnel within various health departments.
He concedes that the government has invested heavily in building hospitals and so on. But these projects were not accompanied by the recruitment of human capital. This has a detrimental impact on service delivery and staff, believes Radhakrishna Sadien.
