Eastern Cape Covid-19 state a ‘crisis of epic proportions’, says Gift of the Givers

Eastern Cape hospitals are full as a health and food security crisis takes hold of the province this year, according to Gift of the Givers.

The non-governmental organisations has warned the current devastation gripping the increasingly impoverished population of South Africa would worsen as the impact of Covid-19 continues to unfold. This was especially true in the Eastern Cape, where 67% of its 18,656 hospitalisations were in the public sector. The province surpassed Gauteng to record the highest deaths in the country this week at 5116 compared to latter’s 5069.

As the health department struggled to cope with the massive surge in hospitalisations following the lifting of the lockdown, Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said he was concerned about the overall impact the second surge would have on the poverty stricken province.

“The humanitarian decimation is a crisis of epic proportions in the Eastern Cape. They already had problems with the maintenance of healthcare facilities, staffing issues and so the health system was already compromised. They have some beautiful hospitals there but they also have many which are run down and are in desperate need of assistance,” said Sooliman.

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Coupled with the five-year drought affecting most areas of the province, the devastating impact of the lockdown had increased levels of hunger in the province to crisis levels. Industries shutting down in urban areas meant millions of migrant workers returned home to the Eastern Cape without a job or hope of returning to one.

According to Sooliman, whereas food parcel and feeding scheme queues were filled with children, working age men, women and the elderly were becoming prevalent.

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Sooliman described the cry of desperation, the anguish of uncertainty, the reality of incapacity and the feeling of abandonment across the province as heads of hospitals, senior nursing managers, doctors and other healthcare professionals broke down.

“We are in deep trouble, the virus is everywhere, the hospital is full, not only the Covid-19 beds, the whole hospital, we are not allowed to give the numbers. The queues are lengthening outside, we have to increase capacity, we have them sitting on chairs, we find many dead there. Funeral parlours, big and small have never been this busy,” he said.

Healthcare facilities were in urgent need of personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitisers, pulse oximeters, non-contact thermometers and scrubs.

“We need more bed space, our hospitals are full, we are using B&Bs but there’s no oxygen there, it’s a risk. We need oxygen, high-flow nasal oxygen machines, flow meters, oxygen gauges, splitters and oxygen masks. We need blankets to cover our patients, it’s a question of their dignity, linen for our beds, and infrastructure upgrade.

“It is time for us South Africans to stand up and be counted. This pandemic can never be managed by government alone, it requires the participation of all 60 million of us. Financial support, assistance with medical supplies, infrastructure upgrade and responsible behaviour is key,” Sooliman said.

simnikiweh@citizen.co.za

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