03 Apr 2023

The Ministry of Health has started training the officers in non-skilled health related jobs with a view to retool them within the provisions of the training policies and re-deploy them to other artisan cadres.

Answering a question in Parliament recently, Assistant Minister  of Health, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe said the central sterile supplies staff were among those who would be trained in 2023/2024 financial year.

Mr Lelatisitswe said all central sterile supplies units officers at Princess Marina and Nyangabwe referral hospitals had not progressed beyond the B5 salary scales since 2003 because they were on a one level job.

“The job is non-skilled and therefore the officers are only trained on the job in their area of operation,” he said.

He explained that the central sterile supplies attendant was a former industrial class cadre, which according to the Job Evaluation Manual for Public Service, were classified as jobs which were not complex and therefore did not require a fully-fledged cadre, thus had only one level.

“The responsibilities for the job are routine, repetitive and do not vary to a point where they require additional levels,” he added.

Mr Lelatisitswe further said having one level only entailed the central sterile supplies job not to warrant any progression path or scheme of service.

He explained that the officers started at A1 scale at different dates of first appointment and were later upgraded to B5 scale in 2003 and had since not progressed beyond B5 salary scale because their job had one level.

Tonota MP, Mr Pono Moatlhodi had asked the minister if he was aware that the staff at the central sterile supplies unit had been stuck at B5 salary scale since 2003.

Mr Moatlhodi also wanted to know why they had not progressed for 28 years. 

He further asked if the minister was aware that there was no scheme of service at the unit and what the ministry was doing to address the anomaly. 

ends