Reading Time: 2 minutes
The Eastern Cape Department of Health says it will continue to work with healthcare unions in the province to better ensure the safety of staff at health facilities.
This after the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (DENOSA) says officials in the Eastern Cape are attempting to force some healthcare workers to come to work as they await their coronavirus test results.
DENOSA says the workers are unsure if they have the virus or not and this could endanger the lives of patients they treat.
DENOSA says as of last week, at least 587 healthcare workers in the province tested positive for the virus and at least 14 have died from COVID-19 related complications.
DENOSA provincial secretary Khaya Sodidi says they are working with the provincial department but if no action is taken soon they will approach President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene.
In the video below, healthcare workers in the Eastern Cape protest over insufficient PPEs:
In the video below, Eastern Cape receives PPEs from China:
The union also says workers are inadequately trained on how to protect themselves from the virus and there is a staff shortage at facilities.
The province has recorded 14 721 cases of the coronavirus with 268 deaths.
In the video below, Minister Mkhize monitors Eastern Cape’s response to COVID-19:
Department HOD Dr Thobile Mbengashe says they have already begun addressing all the challenges in the sector.
“This is really the time to resolve all the problems of the poor infrastructure in healthcare services and we are now being allowed to move very fast with many areas. We looked for 1000 unemployed nurses and we have appointed those right now, they are in the system. We are going to put another 5000 community health workers to assist with the tracing, we put out an advert that says all doctors that are not employed, come we will take you over. There has been training and that is ongoing. We are now providing this additional training of psychological support.”
In the audio below, rising infections and poor working conditions of frontline health workers in the Eastern Cape:
