EASTERN CAPE - SAMA: EC DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH TRAINED MEDICAL STAFF TO COPE WITH INCREASING COVID-19 INFECTIONS

SAMA Chairperson, Angelique Coetzee, says the Eastern Cape does not have enough doctors or trained nursing staff to work in the ICUs.

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says the Eastern Cape does not have enough trained medical personnel as the number of new coronavirus infections increases in the province.

The association’s  SAMA Chairperson, Angelique Coetzee, made the remark while outlining issues faced by health sector personnel in that province amid the coronavirus pandemic.

She was reacting to government’s decision to declare the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro a COVID-19 hotspot – therefore banning public drinking, extending the curfew and placing restrictions on gatherings in the region.

President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Thursday night.

“The President was correct in putting in restrictions and declaring NMB as a hotspot. The Eastern Cape does not have enough doctors or trained nursing staff to work in the ICUs to handle patients who need different care than normal patients in a ward. I fail to see how we are going to get it right because there is no political will. You need to have a strong CEO at a hospital saying to the provincial Department of Health I need this, you have to get me the following resources,” says Coetzee.

via - SABC