SEDIBENG. – The staff at public hospitals in Gauteng is said to be concerned about not getting proper protection such as masks, gloves and gowns to avoid Coronavirus infection.
Reports said that the staff feel insecure because they are not protected.
In one case a doctor appealed on Facebook for surgical mask donations as she was going to work at a Covid-19 unit at a major hospital.
Democratic Alliance’s (DA), Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom said that one hospital CEO said to him that he was reserving the masks he had for the most risky areas.
Bloom further said that some doctors and nurses are threatening not to work if they do not get adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
“It is unacceptable that frontline medical staff are not protected as they battle this terrible scourge. The Gauteng Health Department needs to address the shortage of PPE urgently, and call for public assistance if necessary as we have seen around the world there has been an outpouring of help from ordinary people and businesses to provide needed items in various ways,” Bloom said.
