Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has assured South Africans that they are prioritising rural and far-flung areas around the country for COVID-19 vaccinations. Kubayi visited the Emthanjeni hospital in De Aar, in the Northern Cape, to assess the province’s management of COVID-19 and its vaccine roll out.
Following a lengthy briefing with all relevant stakeholders, Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi addressed the media and said they are prioritising all areas in the country to be vaccinated.
Kubayi says their aim is for the Northern Cape’s residents to be the first in the country to be fully vaccinated.
The minister has raised concerns about the rising number of coronavirus cases in the province :
Patients at the hospital raised their grievances with the minister regarding the poor services they are getting from the staff at the Emthanjeni Hospital in De Aar.
70-year-old Suzan Johnson shared her experience with the minister.
“My experience was very bad, because when I came here I was very sick and when I got home I was even worse because I fell here and my body was bruised and I had to heal myself at home.”
Last month, the family of 75-year-old Willemse Van Syfer claimed that he died due to neglect. Van Syfer was hospitalised with COVID-19 complications and the family said he did not receive proper medical care.
The family alleged that no nurses were available to assist the pensioner and no doctor was in sight following his admission.
This prompted the Northern Cape Health Department to launch an investigation into alleged patient neglect. Northern Cape Health MEC Maruping Lekwene says the matter has been reported to the police and the departmental investigation continues.
Minister Kubayi says every province has a responsibility to be creative for the vaccine roll out to continue, adding that drive-by vaccine programmes are yielding fruitful results.
She says they will assist the Northern Cape to boost the staff compliment for residents to be vaccinated.
