IPUSA calls upon the policing authorities to priorities the jab on the policing agencies as they are part of essential service providers.
It is absurd to see how the policing agencies are discriminated against when it comes to important issues such as jabs and good working conditions.
It is a well-known fact that we are living in unprecedented times brought about by the Covid 19 pandemic, which continues to kill many people around the planet. It should not have happened that so many of our policing staff have lost their lives due to the pandemic. However, the Management’s ignorance as it insists on operating normally, has enabled Covid 19 to ravage the lives of our brothers and sisters in the police.
The holding cell facilities in both police stations and correctional services are not fully decontaminated, and our police members come into contact with offenders from the time of arrest, to the criminal proceedings in the courts, and then to the correctional service. Hence it was important to give them the jab first together with health workers, as they too form part of the first responders.
There is no reason as to why the government’s medical aids are not assisting with giving the jab to their members who are providing essential services, bearing in mind that the government contributes 80% towards monthly subscriptions of the medical aid. The cost of the medical aid has in the meantime gone up, whereas employees are expected to wait for the government’s jab. This is inconceivable! Polmed and Gems must come to the party. Other medical aids have already started putting their ducks in a row to roll out this important call, and we have heard that GEMS as well, but this is coming in very late as we have already lost precious lives we could have saved.
Polmed has not yet publicly announced their strategy as to how they intend to safeguard their members against this pandemic, and we are now in the third wave. Thanks to the vitamins and hospitalisation benefits offered for those who are infected, but as the old saying goes, “Prevention is Better than Cure”. We argue that Polmed should provide the jab and keep the service safe and protected.
The abovementioned medical aids’ existence is to ensure that we have a healthy police force, army and public servants whom are ready to guarantee South Africans the safety of their lives and property.
The proposal by a certain politician in Gauteng to have Gauteng traffic and metro police officers to start working 24/7 will benefit our members and the motorists alike, and we shall support such initiatives by the authorities. However, we would be sentencing our members to death, if they were to work 24/7 without having been given the jab and the necessary gear for their protection against Covid 19.
Issued by IPUSA
