Gauteng govt welcomes donations of cellphones from Telkom and Samsung

The Gauteng department of health has welcomed as a “major boost” the donation of mobile handsets by Telkom and Samsung Africa, to be used by its team doing contact tracing.

According to department spokesperson Kwara Kekana, thousands of healthcare workers are working around the clock daily to trace people who came into contact with people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in an attempt to stop the further spreading of the coronavirus.

Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko said that they were obliged as a company to do their bit to help fight the disease, while Samsung in Africa CEO Sung Yoon expressed confidence at measures taken by the South African government to contain and stop the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize thanked all partners who had come on board and offered resources to be used in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

He called on others to join the campaign.

Gauteng is the first of four provinces to receive a share of the 1,500 mobile handsets – with the Western Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to following.

The cellphones will be loaded with free data and airtime on a monthly basis for the next six months.

Welcoming the donation to Gauteng, Health MEC Bandile Masuku said: “We are excited about this partnership, this will improve the work of our tracers. The health system must be patient-centred, clinician-led and stakeholder-driven.”

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