Honest leaders needed during this health crisis

For weeks now, medical experts have warned that coronavirus infections are set to peak in provinces like the Eastern Cape. Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said the national department would focus its attention on the province and listed several interventions. In times of crisis, people look to leaders for reassurance that they will weather the storm. But in a province where so many people have been failed by a dysfunctional healthcare system — evidenced by the billions in medico-legal claims being faced by the department — talk is cheap.

Several clinics have closed down due to staff testing positive or having to go into isolation. At Tafalofefe Hospital in Centane a few weeks ago patients had to fend for themselves as health workers abandoned their stations. Unions have been at loggerheads with the department since the outbreak of the virus in the province, resulting in protests at health facilities and citizens being denied access to medical care. The Eeastern Cape needs 3,000 ICU beds

Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth, touted by the health department as one of the main sites at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19, has been beset with problems. A doctor at Livingstone said the hospital was “critically understaffed.”

The Herald published the contents of a report that revealed haphazard screening of visitors to the hospital, sanitising not being maintained and staff not wearing PPE. Constant cleaning and sanitising are crucial for infection-control, but a lack of cleanliness was one of the biggest issues discovered when a News24 team visited Livingstone at the weekend. They found dirt and used surgical equipment not being properly disposed of and dirty mattresses in the corridors. Dry blood spots could be seen on the floor in one of the wards and blood stains on a stairway.

Countries across the world have had to scramble to keep ahead of the pandemic. With a crisis of this magnitude, challenges are to be expected. In the Eastern Cape, the health department has been in a crisis for a long time and the people have had to bear the brunt of failing leaders and systems for many years.

Managing a response to a pandemic such as Covid19 requires a sustained, focused approach. As the province braces for its peak in infections, we need a leadership that is honest about the problems faced and has a clear plan on how to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.

Managing a response to a pandemic such as Covid-19 requires a sustained and focused approach