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By Se-Anne Rall 
20h ago
DURBAN – The South African Medical Association believes that KZN MEC’s claims that the province has enough beds to cope with the surge in Covid-19 cases is misleading and has raised concerns about “a severe shortage of medical personnel, oxygen and Personal Protective equipment in the province “.
SAMA President Dr. Angelique Coetzee said the MEC’s claims were counterproductive to efforts to effectively address the pandemic.
KZN MEC for Health, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, yesterday disputed the claims, adding that bed occupancy in the province is only 66% of capacity.
Simelane-Zulu further criticized reports that there were not enough beds in KZN hospitals. Addressing the media during a webinar on Wednesday, Simelane-Zulu said that people have even digitally manipulated audiovisual material and shared it online to present a false image that the government is not managing the Covid pandemic- 19.
However, according to Coetzee, based on feedback they have received from doctors on the ground, this is incorrect and the figure cited by the MEC includes all hospital beds, not those specifically designated for Covid-19 patients.
“We have received reports that these patients are waiting on benches, stretchers and wheelchairs to be admitted,” Coetzee said.
He said having beds available is only noteworthy if there are enough medical staff to treat those in them.
Coetzee said this was one of SAMA’s main concerns.
“Without trained doctors and nurses, a person lying in a bed may not even have a bed. We have constantly highlighted the serious shortage of health workers in KZN – it is a situation that does not seem to have been resolved yet. Every day they hear stories. of doctors in the province that they are overworked and on the verge of exhaustion, “he said.
Coetzee said that aside from concerns about adequate human resources, operational resource issues also remain unresolved.
“It has become an almost daily occurrence for us to receive emails and phone calls informing us about problems with oxygen deprivation and PPE. There have also been reports that the PPE being delivered is non-standard, which means that it breaks down when worn and doesn’t offer the correct level of protection, “he said.
He notes that the three key issues – adequate beds, sufficient number of healthcare workers to manage those beds, and sufficient and appropriate PPE must be urgently addressed at the highest level to ensure that effective care is provided to KwaZulu-Natal patients.
“Our information comes directly from doctors who are risking their own lives on the front lines of this pandemic. They have no vested interest in creating a political storm, just to provide the best possible care for their patients, while keeping them safe. We cannot be in a situation where we delude ourselves into believing that everything is fine when it is not – that will not solve anything and, in fact, will only make dealing with the pandemic more difficult in the future, “said Coetzee. .
A paramedic who spoke on the basis of anonymity said they have to redirect patients to different hospitals due to lack of beds and oxygen.
“In some cases, we are standing outside hospitals for two or three hours while patients wait for beds. We are even calling hospitals up to Richards Bay to find out if we can transport patients for care, ”the doctor said.
MESS
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