Health workers are primary soldiers in virus fight, have to be safe – Mkhize
He was at the Motsepe Foundation in Johannesburg to receive a donation of protective gear from businessman Patrice Motsepe and SA entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe.
Patrice Motsepe, left, with Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, centre, and Precious Moloi-Motsepe of the Motsepe Foundation, briefs media about the foundation’s initiative to procure millions of Rands worth of PPE for medical workers in conjunction with the Dept of Health and Business SA at the office of ARM in Sandton, 7 April 2020. Picture: Neil McCartney
Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize says no health professional will be forced to work in an area where they do not feel protected.
“We need our staff to be protected and to be safe,” Mkhize told the media at a briefing on Tuesday.
“Health professionals must take all the precautions from being infected. Our staff are our primary soldiers in this fight.”
The minister was at the Motsepe Foundation’s offices in Sandton, Johannesburg, to receive a donation of protective gear from businessman Patrice Motsepe and SA entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe.
“We have come with excitement to receive donations for some of the most essential PPE (personal protective equipment) – 200,000 surgical masks, boxes of gloves and a few other items. It is a very important contribution,” Mkhize explained.
According to the minister, this donation “will help sort a lot of problems”.
“Like all parts of the world, our stock is going down. It is difficult to get replacements supplied – even the stock we have has been called on by other countries.
“The real fight is the prices, so we thank the Motsepes for their swift action and generous donation,” Mkhize added.
South Africa has 1,749 confirmed Covid-19 cases and one more death in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), bringing the total number of deaths from the coronavirus to 13.
The 60-year-old man, who died at a private healthcare facility in Durban, had stage four cancer, the minister confirmed.
Mkhize further highlighted that he is concerned about St Augustine’s Hospital in KZN, where quite a number of healthcare professionals tested positive.
“We are concerned about developments at St Augustine’s Hospital, where 66 people tested positive over the past few days, 48 of these are staff.
“The provincial department is engaging the hospital about closing parts of the hospital down,” Mkhize said.
“We must now trace all the contacts. It is a matter of serious concern and we are dealing with it.”
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