Challenges facing Eastern Cape health system getting worse: Mkhize

Minister of Health Dr. Zweli Mkhize says most challenges facing the Eastern Cape health system have been in existence since before the COVID-19 pandemic and are now getting worse.

Assessing the situation in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro on Wednesday during a tour of Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth, the Minister tells media that the availability of resources has always been a huge challenge for the province.

The visit follows a BBC expose on alleged poor conditions at some of the province’s main hospitals.

Mkhize adds that the growing coronavirus cases in Port Elizabeth are beginning to put a huge strain on the system. “There have always been, here, a lot of challenges with the availability of resources long before we got to the pandemic. There is also an amalgamation of people who move out of the province. So, those we expected to increase with the COVID-19, because of the pressure we are seeing in other provinces, linked to the fact that whatever weaknesses there were in the system get worse. I, therefore, believe that there is a need for re-enforcement and that the project management we have put in place will focus on some of that.”

SABC’s Lerato Fekesi reports: 

E Cape COVID-19 numbers

Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape health MEC, Sindiswa Gomba, maintains that there are no problems accessing and accounting for COVID-19 numbers, despite failure to update figures earlier this month.

She says the mistake was spotted and rectified and they are now on top of everything.

“We have got a system that is able to link us on how we are following up those people that we are testing. Secondly,  it does not only have to be a matter that we are testing those who are coming to us, but also those who have gone through private facilities. We are able because results come from NHLS and NICD, that they get into our system and we latch them. Hence you see that we are able to account for the numbers that we are able to follow and account for numbers and recoveries. Equally, that is why we’re able to see that the numbers are not moving.”

Provincial Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba met with health worker unions on Tuesday: 

EC to reach its peak by August

The Eastern Cape has the third-highest number of coronavirus infections in the country. With more than 66 000  infections that’s about 17% of the national cases.

Most of its cases are in urban areas such as the two metropolitan municipalities of Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay. But, there are also concerns that the virus is now spreading in semi-urban and rural areas.

The province’s coronavirus infection rate is expected to reach its peak in August and September – with around 90 000 cases. And this could see as many as 9 000 deaths. This was revealed during a parliamentary briefing by Eastern Cape health authorities on the provincial government’s strategy to deal with the rising number of infections.

Professor Ian Sonne, from the province’s Project Management Unit, has warned that the number of deaths in the Eastern Cape is expected to rise dramatically – if it fails to redouble its efforts at fighting the virus.

“At this point in time there is an anticipated 9 000 deaths in the province.  Although it would be unfortunate unavoidable deaths, these deaths will occur despite interventions and related to the nature of the disease. However, we are concerned that if we do not increase the capacity in the EC, this number of deaths will exceed 9 000.