Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says serious action will be taken against public and private hospitals that fail to follow the mandatory procedures when treating patients diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Mkhize addressed the media on a visit to a COVID-19 facility in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, where he reiterated the call for healthcare workers to take extra precautions to protect themselves against the coronavirus.
“To protect staff we have to ensure that there is training, protective gear and protocols that have to be followed. We are going to make sure that everybody, public or private, follow the standard operating procedures and the necessary protocols so that no one has got their own way of managing this issue. There is a standard for everyone and it is not a matter of choice for anyone, it is mandatory that people follow the protocols. We will take action. We have closed down two hospitals already in Mpumalanga and KZN and this will happen when we take action.”
In the video below, Mkhize says he is happy with the screening progress that has been made so far in Mpumalanga.
Last week, Minister Mkhize said the public and private hospitals will be working together in the fight against COVID-19. He warned South Africans not to become complacent about the pandemic, saying that the country is facing a delayed storm with the COVID-19.
“To defeat COVID-19 is no longer an issue of a nurse and a doctor it is actually about society, it is actually about going in a combat zone and fighting this infection. I do want to say that at this point the indications we have as President has indicated are very promising but we did say before while we see some very promising elements in the response it is still too early and therefore if there’s any turn in the events in the outbreak we may not have other warnings so I think it is important for us to keep remembering that we are still traversing through a storm that is gathering and the storm is not over.”
The graph below shows South Africa’s response to the pandemic.
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South Africa has 2506 confirmed cases and 34 COVID-19 related deaths.
As at today the confirmed #COVID19 cases are 2506 and 7 new deaths
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) April 15, 2020
