Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba. Nehawu and the DA are calling for the suspension of MEC Ramathuba and all government officials who might have benefitted in the R900 million Covid-19 PPE tenders that recently set tongues wagging nationwide. Image: Twitter/ @PhophiRamathuba
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo is accusing the province’s health MEC Phophi Ramathuba of playing cards close to her chest in dishing out details to the fast-approaching peak of Covid-19. The party said in a statement it expected Ramathuba to urgently share clear and specific details of the province’s response to the threat.
DA spokesperson for health and member of the Limpopo provincial legislature, Risham Mharaj, claimed Ramathuba stated last week that the province planned to expand its capacity in the already existing hospitals rather than set up field hospitals. Maharaj said but the MEC, who is also a professional medical doctor, did not make mention of timelines as to when she was going to execute the expansion. He said the MEC was also not clear if those measures will be carried during or before the peak of the virus.
“This MEC further indicated to me that the province currently has 2,000 beds, 54 ventilators and that Modimolle Hospital will soon become a fully dedicated Covid-19 centre with 100 ventilators. She said the plan was to further upgrade existing big hospitals with 6 000 beds and 351 ventilators, while district hospitals have about 10 to 20 beds for low to medium risk patients,” said Maharaj in a statement.
“Despite this positive news on the intentions of the province, the department has failed to be proactive and use the last 3 months to prepare the facilities for the peak and now we find ourselves in a race against time,” he added.
He said MEC Ramathuba should also inform the public when the peak is expected according to their modelling system; the estimated numbers of cases the province will have at the peak; and how many Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and hospital beds will be needed at the peak.
He said there has also been no communication regarding Limpopo’s status with regard to sufficient ventilators and oxygen as the province was now entering testing times. He also said
“MEC Ramathuba must also give an update and plans to mitigate the risk of healthcare personnel shortages in the province which could be further compounded by the large number of healthcare workers that continue to test positive for Covid-19. The hard lockdown was meant to assist provincial health departments to prepare for when the country reaches its peak, but it seems the Limpopo department of health spent this period making unending plans and have left the much-needed action of actually preparing the health infrastructure till the very end.
“While we acknowledge and commend the hard work carried out by healthcare workers in Limpopo in fighting this virus, there has been insufficient information provided. MEC Ramathuba and her department must at the very least keep the health portfolio committee informed of developments and progress with regard to the province’s response to Covid-19 to allow for effective oversight,” he said.
Maharaj said the DA in Limpopo was prepared to continue to monitor the progress the department makes in its preparations to ensure that as many lives as possible were saved and that the sacrifices made by the people of Limpopo during this lockdown were not in vain. The MEC was not available for comment at the time of going to print.
-news@citizen.co.za
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