Ward 132 councillor, Annette Deppe visited the Halfway House and Midrand West clinics on 18 March to conduct an oversight visit amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Deppe explained that she is in constant contact with a doctor from the City of Johannesburg health department allocated to oversee anything relating to the coronavirus. “So far I am pleased to say that there are no cases at the Midrand West and Halfway House clinics, if there are any fake news with fake letterheads, please, before you send them out, make sure that you check that they are accurate and not false.
“My job as a councillor is to do oversight on local government and because we have two local government facilities in Midrand, in close proximity to my ward, a lot of my residents use them. Therefore, I came to see if they are ready and prepared for people that have got infectious diseases, like the new coronavirus, and to check if residents are happy with the service.”
Deppe noted that the two clinics did follow procedure but the Midrand West Clinic did not have all the required posters with information or hand sanitisers as they had ran out. “I was at the Midrand West Clinic last week and there are things that I saw weren’t in place. Today they have brought in the necessary [items] like documentation they needed for the screening process before people enter the clinic, which I am happy with. “The only thing is that they do not have enough posters up to give information.”
Johannesburg City Health Department spokesperson, Nthatisi Modingoane, assured the Midrand Reporter that the City’s approach is to prevent, contain and manage the spread of the virus through efficient and equitable deployment of resources to regions and the most vulnerable areas. These include areas of high volumes in human traffic, informal and densely populated settlements.
“The 79 clinics within the City have received protective equipment and personnel have been briefed on how to manage and handle suspected and/or otherwise confirmed cases of Covid-19 in line with the national and provincial guidelines and protocols. Modingoane added that in the interest of transparency and information sharing, all clinics have sanitisers and masks, and their supplier will continue to supply all clinic facilities.
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“N95 masks were out of stock, however, have since been supplied on 18 March. Posters are still going to be produced, however, there are pamphlets on Covid-19. There are screening tools which facilities are utilising and should a patient present symptoms, protocols, as outlined by the National Institute Communicable Disease (NICD), are to follow.
“There is an outbreak response team at the centre and per region which gets activated and will confirm the case definition. The NICD and National Protocol are followed and all the standard operating procedures are followed to help patients. Please note that patients must also be within the case definition criteria as outlined by NICD.”
Modingoane concluded that residents were informed in all media platforms, through pamphlets, social media and the central contact centre.
The important message is for people not to panic but remain vigilant with emphasis on handwashing, good personal hygiene practises, self-isolation, quarantine and the seeking of medical help if presented with symptoms. “Residents must follow the presidential restrictions and be safe.”
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