By Mduduzi Hlophe

MANZINI: Mankayne Government Hospital has been shut-down as nurses engaged in a protest against the lack of CoronaVirus protective clothing, Bheki Mamba, the President of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union(SWADNU) confirmed to this Swaziland News.

The protest that occurred on Tuesday comes in the midst of tensions between government and nurses within State owned hospitals who have been complaining that the lack of the protective clothing was placing them at risk of contracting the virus and spreading it to patients.

“We are facing shortage of the protective clothing that was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). We as medical  practitioners we are exposed to a larger number of patients, so without the PPE\'s we risk contracting the virus and also spreading it further to the patients\"he said.

The President said they were only told that Parliament approved a budget of E48million for the purchasing of the equipment, however, he said nothing has reached them hence their decision to down tools.

"We only heard that Parliament approved a budget of 48 million but up to date we have not received any form of protective clothing. Government had enough time to prepare for this because they aware that the virus had erupted in China.Now the country has 5 confirmed cases  but nothing has been done to protect medical practitioners against the virus"said the SWADNU President.