Department of Health faces pandemic head-on
The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect in the world’s biggest economies, that came to a halt following the rapid spread and infections rate.
According to the MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini: “South Africa has the most infections in Africa. In Mpumalanga we have positive cases increasing, some recoveries and new cases that are accruing.
As of day 53 on Monday, South Africa recorded 15 515 confirmed cases; 7 006 recoveries, 264 deaths and 8 245 active cases; thus recording 1 160 new cases in 24 hours, the highest figure in a single day to date.
“We have come up with strategies through the assistance of the national government to fight the pandemic by practising precautionary measures, such as social distancing and sanitising. We also visited various government facilities, such as old age homes, educating the elderly about the precautions and giving them flu vaccinations to strengthen their immune systems.”
“We have set up quarantine sites in all districts to manage new and existing infections. For us to be at the forefront, technological innovation will help fight the pandemic, hence the need to develop an application to track positive cases around the province. ”
“The app is called ‘Siyanqoba Sonke’ (we all win). We launched the app in a newly built tech lab with a call centre at the Government Complex.”
“The app will assist clinical teams in providing victims with medical attention at their location. The app can be downloaded on the Google Play and IOS App stores. It has the compatibility of reporting cases in real time, and collects the latest Covid-19 data. It will automate the data for resources to be deployed. There is a dashboard that indicates all seven hotspots in all municipalities. It also has the capacity to enable clinical workers to check readiness assessments of health facilities that are ready to administer patients.”
“However, these essential workers also need to be prioritised. A meeting was held with organised labour to address challenges such as personal protective equipment. The pharmaceutical depot reports on a daily basis on stock received and orders made. I have appealed to unions to encourage their members to get flu vaccinations. There was an emphasis on the training of PPEs that we took into account.”
“By the end of April, 486 619 screenings were conducted; 165 135 in Ehlanzeni, 139 242 in Gert Sibande and 182 242 in the Nkangala District. The minister of health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, visited the Gert Sibande region in Ermelo and donated mobile testing units to increase the testing centre’s capacity, that has an equal function as a lab.”
“Furthermore, through our international relations with countries such as Cuba, President Cyril Ramaphosa made a call to the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, to assist us by deploying 217 specialist doctors in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, family physicians and healthcare technology, who will all provide technical assistance, working with local experts who specialise in infectious diseases.”
“The doctors had been subjected to precautionary health measures before they were deployed into all provinces. The health department was also allocated R20 billion in order to procure equipment and make sure that the province has enough funds to tackle the pandemic.”
“As we are approaching the end of level four of the lockdown and entering level three, I urge our communities to uphold the rules and regulations of the Disaster Management Act by staying at home, wearing face masks, washing their hands regularly as stipulated, maintaining social distancing and sanitising always,” she concluded.
