[ad_1]
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was expected to introduce rapid antigen tests in the Eastern Cape this week to more quickly identify patients with coronavirus infections. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)
During a supervisory visit to Nelson Mandela Bay, where there is a worrying outbreak of new Covid-19 infections, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize requested statistics related to alcohol abuse-related injuries and admissions of victims in the subway.
Citing staff burnout and the impact alcohol-related injuries are having on an already stressed hospital system in Nelson Mandela Bay, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize yesterday requested detailed statistics from victim units, saying a Once you have them, you will have a conversation about what steps to take.
Mkhize visited Nelson Mandela Bay’s dedicated Covid-19 facility, Livingstone Hospital, on Tuesday to see what is being done to curb the country’s largest Covid-19 outbreak right now.
Officials spoke of crowded hospitals, makeshift intensive care units and more than 10 people dying a day from the virus.
The director of the metro’s disaster management forum, Shane Brown, said there has also been an increase in alcohol-related injuries and accidents, putting even more pressure on hospitals.
Telling how he had seen people over the weekend at a popular braai spot in Port Elizabeth sharing the same beers and cigarettes, Brown said he fully supported the position of the minister of cooperative governance, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, on the dangers of alcohol and tobacco.
“Staff burnout is a real concern to me,” Mkhize said.
“The staff must also feel safe. They carry many loads. They care about their own health and that of their families. They carry the burden of the sick.
“Anyone who has had a loved one in the hospital with Covid-19 would know that there is nothing as difficult as those walls between the patient and their family. Nurses must replace all of this.
“We understand the problem. We must give support ”.
He said they will help improve facilities where makeshift ICUs were created to ensure patients receive the treatment they need.
“But we are going to have to send a strong message,” he said.
“Long lines (at grant payment points and at the post office) must be attended … people must comply with the curfew.”
He said he was surprised when a doctor showed him a photo of a well-known tavern in Port Elizabeth. “There were no masks. Without distancing. It would be impossible not to catch Covid-19 if it is there, ”he said.
He said the message to the taverns should be simple: Either comply or lose your license. Mkhize added that if retailers allow people without masks to enter their stores, they must close them.
“The Disaster Management Act allows us to be strong in the way we deal with this,” he said.
“During the surge we had to deal with the alcohol problem. If we have staff fatigue and overcrowding of wounded units, bring me the figures … we’ll see it again, ”he said.
“Covid-19 is not just a health problem,” Mkhize said. “These numbers represent people who get sick; those who die and those who test positive, and their families, ”he said.
He said he was pleased to see the cooperation between the health department, the municipality, and other stakeholders.
“We are very concerned about the Eastern Cape numbers,” he said.
“The daily increases are higher than what we saw during the July and August increase.”
“This needs to be handled aggressively,” he added, “before it gets out of hand. It is not inevitable that this wave can be repressed. It has to yield. You have to leave it.
“I have a feeling how much pressure there is on hospitals. The staff has not rested.
“We must enter the community and take steps to move forward. It is very important that we strengthen our health personnel ”.
He said doctors from the Cuban medical contingent are being removed from their current posts and sent to Nelson Mandela Bay.
The international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has also dispatched two doctors and four professional nurses to Nelson Mandela Bay to help.
“We will ask other provinces for help, if necessary,” Mkhize said. “This is a decision that we can make later this week.”
During a first visit to the metro in April, Mkhize was angered by the delays in appointing the nursing staff and issued short-term orders.
Yesterday he said he wanted to know what happened to the nurses who were appointed at that time and during the surge.
“I need a clearer report on what happened to them,” he said. “Where there is a shortage, it must be addressed.”
He was also concerned about delays in health labs that produced Covid test results. “We are having a discussion to increase capacity here. There should be no delays in response times, ”he said.
Eastern Cape Health Department District Manager for Nelson Mandela Bay, Darlene de Vos, said there are currently 4,991 active cases on the subway, with 437 new cases and 15 deaths reported overnight.
The incidence risk for Nelson Mandela Bay is now 374 / 100,000 of the population and the mortality rate is 4.1%.
He said 166 health workers are currently in isolation.
“We are fighting to convince people to quarantine themselves. We currently only have one site with capacity for 11 people, ”he said.
“Our hospitals are under great pressure. There are 275 patients in the field hospital (donated by Volkswagen).
“Our deaths are alarming. There are more than 10 deaths in our hospitals daily. Only on November 15 there were 16 deaths, ”he said. DM / MC
Do you like what you are reading? Sign up for the Maverick Citizen newsletter and get a weekly summary delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. Free. Because paywalls shouldn’t keep you informed.
