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COVID-19 second wave especially difficult for doctors

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The second wave of COVID-19 in South Africa has brought with it a variant that is spreading rapidly, adding strain to doctors and the healthcare system at large. The Western Cape is no exception.

SABC News spoke to doctors at Melomed Hospitals in Cape Town who say the second wave of COVID-19 infections has been especially difficult to cope with.

They say the high rate of daily positive cases which the Western Cape experienced during the peak, placed a great deal of strain on their mental well-being and their ability to deliver services.

Head of Melomed Hospitals’ Trauma Unit, Dr Rafeeq Abrahams, says their teams have been working non-stop throughout the pandemic to try and heal the sick.

Abrahams says, “For all the frontline workers it has been a very, very difficult time, a very trying time. I cannot begin to express how difficult it is for some of these doctors to get up every day and face their fears and come into the emergency units. Thankfully we work with a great group of doctors. They selflessly would come in and put their fears aside and put the country and all the sick patients first.”

Below is a clip that highlights the challenges faced by the province in dealing with the pandemic.

Western Cape healthcare system under pressure:

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