A doctor head-hunted by the Health Department in the Eastern Cape to manage a turnaround at the Fort England Hospital in Grahamstown has been sitting at home for two years as unions allegedly are opposed to him working there, according to Rapport.

It says Dr Roger Walsh applied to the Labour Court in Port Elizabeth to interdict the department from transferring him and to allow him to return to work as CEO of the psychiatric hospital where there are severe backlogs regarding mental observations for criminal proceedings.

The 300-bed hospital also houses 49 of the country’s most dangerous individuals.

Walsh says the department barred him from going to work two years ago after union representatives threatened to burn the hospital down.

He has been at loggerheads with union representatives many times and obtained several interdicts against strikes. Walsh says the union representatives were not satisfied with his turnaround strategy, refused to work the shifts he imposed, didn’t want to take blood samples from patients and were angry because he took steps to eliminate sleeping on the job.

The Health Department decided to transfer him to the head office in Bhisho as head of mental care, but Walsh is taking this decision on review as he says it was taken under the undue influence of trade unions. The department will file its answering affidavits soon, according to a spokesperson.

Full report in Rapport (subscription needed)