Hospital mourns and celebrates staff s lives ’
Glen Grey Hospital in Emalahleni Local Municipality recently celebrated the return of
56 staff members who survived
Covid-19, while remembering those who lost their lives to the virus.
Statistics reflecting the affect of Covid-19 on employees in the Chris Hani health district show that 945 workers have tested positive for the virus so far, with most coming from the Enoch Mgijima sub-district.
Of the 945 employees, 26 were doctors, 570 nurses and allied personnel and the remainder community health workers.
Sadly, 15 of the health care workers died from Covid-19, while 920 have recovered.
There are currently only 10 active cases among the health workers, most of whom are in good health and in isolation, with one hospitalised.
The top five infected subdistricts and health institutions include Enoch Mgijima subdistrict, which recorded 155 infections, followed by Frontier Hospital with 133, Cofimvaba Hospital with 58, Glen Grey Hospital with 56 and Mjanyana Hospital with 48 infections.
Emalahleni Local Municipality mayor Ntombizanele Koni attended a prayer session at Glen Grey Hospital when the 56 staff returned and those who had died were commemorated.
She thanked all the workers for their diligence in helping to combat the virus, as well as the Emalahleni community for cooperating with government when the area was pronounced a hotspot.
Chris Hani health district director Sindiswa Tywabi said the resilience of the frontline workers stood out, both in their service to curb the spread of Covid-19 and in their own recovery statistics.
The infection of health care workers has a ripple effect in that it translates to thousands more being emotionally and psychologically affected.
In spite of that, these workers have maintained an unparalleled commitment to serve by ensuring the containment of the district statistics for infections.
This is evident in the remarkable improvement in infections and mortalities in a district that had been identified as a hotspot,” Tywabi said.