Alcohol-linked trauma soars
SHOCK: 320 NEW CASES SINCE BAN LIFTS ON 2 FEBRUARY
Something wrong with way people in SA consume alcohol, says expert.
The “alcohol-related incidents fuelling trauma ward cases” debate is back in full force. The Gauteng health department reported 320 new trauma cases since the ban on the sale of alcohol was lifted on 2 February. A day earlier, the number of cumulative cases stood at 180 for the province.
On New Year’s Day, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto recorded a historical zero trauma cases.
The periodic banning of alcohol sales over the past 11 months has been contentious, with civil society appearing to largely agree with affected corporate entities it would ultimately cripple the economy and unnecessarily infringe on people’s comforts.
But government has made a point of publishing recorded trauma cases to demonstrate the burden SA’s alcohol consumption has placed on its underresourced and unstable public healthcare system.
Speaking to Radio 702’s Clement Manyathela yesterday, provincial health department deputy director-general Dr Freddy Kgongwana said since the lifting of the latest ban, trauma cases had increased from about 180 at the beginning of February to 500 to date.
Sociology and anthropology professor at Stellenbosch University
Dr Jantjie Xaba said society needed to realise there was something wrong with the way people in SA consumed alcohol.
“This issue needs a holistic approach. We have the involvement of government, which does have a responsibility to its citizens,” he said.
“But it also has a responsibility to ensure the corporates who benefit from this invest in the country and operate in a way that is sustainable and responsible.”
On the other end of the need to protect industries from collapsing was the opportunity for companies and civil society to deal with the root causes of alcohol abuse. “If you listen to the health sector, they are telling you that there is a causality between alcohol and trauma cases. Every time we lift the ban, we see the trauma cases rise.”