Sir – Following the announcement by the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize that a 38-year-old male who travelled to Italy with his wife has tested positive for coronavirus [COVID-19], the IFP calls on the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health to put lives of people first and launch an urgent campaign aimed at educating all citizens, especially those in rural and township communities about the deadly virus.
We call for an urgent intensified and fully fledged campaign. The campaign must be extended to schools, churches, taxi ranks, train stations, shopping malls and to all public spaces. No one should be exempted from being educated and prepared about coronavirus.
To help address this threat, the IFP recommends that the KZN Health Department distribute posters, leaflets and text messages to increase knowledge and understanding of the disease. Health care workers should be well trained with early detection and preventative measures. All public hospitals and clinics should be equipped with testing points and other equipment needed to control this deadly disease.
The IFP does welcome the announcement by the KZN Premier, Sihle Zikalala, that Grey’s in Pietermaritzburg, Manguzi, Ngwelezane and Addington Hospitals have been identified to manage all suspected coronavirus cases in KwaZulu-Natal. We are concerned that many districts like Harry Gwala, Ugu, uThukela and others in KZN have been left out to this programme.
Measures to track and identify this virus should easily accessible to people in rural and township areas. Everyone should be educated so they can know the symptoms early and seek medical help.
The province cannot claim to be ready if testing points are only accessible in airports, yet this single case was not identified in the airport. This is an indication of how this province and the country are not ready to fight this virus. This could mean that people who were in the flight with this individual were not protected enough from getting it as well and this is deeply worrying.
It is not only airports which must be prioritised to prepare for this fight. More needs to be done to be prepared for the worst in this province.
Ncamisile Nkwanyana, MPL: IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Health
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