Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has appealed for nurses and doctors to come forward to assist in the effort to eradicate the coronavirus pandemic. The Minister is visiting Mpumalanga province, where he gave the Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mpumalanga the thumbs up.
“On my way here, we have been discussing this issue of getting additional staff. We have also been calling out on private nursing colleges as well as different provinces to send a message out to say – people who have been trained, they must look out for where opportunities are for employment as nurses. So, we are calling on the nurses and doctors … those that are unemployed to just liaise with our department, so we can cover the space.”
In the video below, Minister Mkhize gives ‘thumbs up’ to Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mbombela:
Mkhize’s Mpumalanga visit is ahead of the upcoming presidential visit. He says the province has been very impressive so far, clamping down on cluster outbreaks in supermarkets and managing incoming and outgoing foreign travelers.
He has urged residents to continue wearing their masks. “As I was driving here to Mpumalanga and walking about, I’ve seen many people with masks, but some of them have them under their chin or in their hands. It’s important for us all to maintain the mask-wearing. Changing our behaviour is imperative.”
This is Mkhize’s second visit to the province:
Meanwhile, Mkhize has raised concerns that some of the residents are not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously. This after spotting a number of people not properly wearing their masks.
“On my way to Mpumalanga, I looked out through the window and I look at people as I walk out on some of the towns. lots of people having masks but some of them put them on their chin, some of them got them below their nose, some of them are holding them in the hands, some of them in their bags. In one place, I went out and I said: guys where are your masks and these were young people. Oh! they remembered. They quickly rush put on their bags and put on their pockets and pulled out the masks and then hang them around their necks. I said look the issue is serious, you don’t need to be seen with a mask but you need to wear it properly.”
