SHOUT SA DONATES MASKS
FIVE hospitals in the metro received donated masks, which were given to doctors and nurses.
The Shout4Masks campaign donated 56 000 KN95 and three-ply surgical masks to Groote Schuur Hospital, Tygerberg Hospital, Mitchells Plain Hospital, Khayelitsha District Hospital and the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
This is the second such donation from the campaign, with masks given to four hospitals in Gauteng last month. The aim of this new initiative is to raise funds to buy masks from accredited manufacturers for public-service workers.
Shout4Masks ambassador, comedian Nik Rabinowitz, said: “Groote Schuur heroes have treated more Covid-19 patients than any other hospital in Africa, in excess of 1 000 since mid-March. The shipment arrived at a critical time.”
Rabinowitz said the masks would be life-saving for some health-care workers because 11 Covid-19 wards and ICUs were at maximum capacity.
“As the epidemic progresses, increasing numbers of health-care workers are becoming infected – this donation of KN95 and surgical masks will help to provide protection for our health-care workers in the front line at this critical time,” said the director of the SA Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health at UCT, Heather Zar.
Shout4Masks was launched in April as an emergency operation to supply health-care workers with surgical masks during the pandemic. The first delivery of 60 000 KN95 and three-ply surgical masks took place in May.
“We continue to be grateful to the public and business sector.
“All donations, big and small, play an important part in our endeavour to support the National Department of Health’s efforts in dealing with Covid19,” said Shout SA co-founder, singer Danny K .
“This important act of generosity at a time of great need will go a long way in protecting the health of those in the front line,” said the chairperson of the Groote Schuur department of medicine,Ntobeko Ntusi.
To assist Shout SA to buy masks for front-line heroes, donate to the initiative on www.shout4masks.co.za.