SA dropped the ball in preparing for second wave, says South African Medical Association

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has said despite prior warnings and expectation of the Covid-19 infection second wave which is currently gripping the country, not much preparation was done to prepare for it.

The association’s Dr Akhtar Hussain said there was enough time to prepare for the second wave, adding that when it hit the province of KwaZulu-Natal, within a few days both the private and public sectors were struggling to deal with the disease, with multiple healthcare workers and paramedics in the province testing positive.

“Where is the readiness?” Hussain questioned.

Hussain raised concern that the private sector was more focused with being profit-driven, instead of battling the scourge of Covid-19.

Though space was created in public sector hospitals during the December period and the ban on the sale of alcohol saw a reduction in the number of trauma cases, these spaces were not equipped for Covid-19 patients, Hussain said.

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Hussain said one of the concerns in KwaZulu-Natal was a shortage of healthcare workers, in particular, in the intensive care units, both in the private and public sectors. He added that most healthcare workers have become exhausted and their morale is low, with high levels of absenteeism also being a worry.

“Where is the back up?” Hussain asked, further questioning why in KwaZulu-Natal more field hospitals had not been set up.

Hussain suggested that empty hotels and resorts in the province could be used to quarantine healthcare workers who test positive for Covid-19.

Another concern was a shortage of ventilators and qualified staff to operate the equipment, Hussain said.

The public, too, needs to take responsibility and comply with the measures put in place to help curb the spread of Covid-19, Hussain said.

Hussain said instead of the government prioritising frontline workers for the rollout of the vaccine, it should be given to all South Africans.

“Everybody is important,” he said, adding that rolling out of the vaccine for healthcare workers should have gotten underway in December.

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Hussain said the SAMA neither approves nor disapproves of the use of Ivermectin for treating Covid-19, because it has not been tested and proven that it does.

In response, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane Zulu cautioned that a crisis should not be created “where a crisis does not exist as yet” and to avoid creating a panic.

Simelane Zulu said the department gathers statistics on the available general and Covid-19 beds and dedicated ICU Covid-19 beds on a daily basis.

“Yes it happens that some facilities will run out of beds because of the number of patients that they see and if that particular facility runs out of beds, we immediately kick in our plan and we move patients to the next facility.”

Simelane Zulu added that field hospitals in Umgungundlovu and eThekwini were set up to cater for this eventuality and that the department also has plan of moving patients in between districts should the need arise.

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