Proudly SA ventilators handed over

THE NUMBERS might be going down, but Gauteng is not letting down its guard in the fight against Covid-19.

Acting Health MEC Jacob Mamabolo yesterday presided over the handing over of more than 40 ventilators donated by Solidarity Fund at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

The Solidarity Fund’s donation to the provincial government is a critical intervention in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hospital chief executive Gladys Bogoshi said: “We have received 36 ventilators. However, we are going to get a total of 42, which we are going to share with other hospitals, namely Carletonville, Thabo Memorial and others.”

Mamabolo lauded the donation as a great addition to the Covid-19 fight.

“I am deeply pleased and privileged to receive this donation by the Solidarity Fund of the non-invasive ventilations.”

Solidarity Fund chairperson Gloria Serobe said the fund was excited to donate South African manufactured products to a government hospital.

“We were shocked to hear that all ventilators we have come from overseas and we did not have local production in South Africa, which scared us as the whole world is queuing for supply. South Africa was not going to be a priority and that urged us to fund such a project.”

The ventilators are to cost at least R2 000 each to produce as opposed to R80 000 if they come from overseas.

Doctors at Charlotte Maxeke said the ventilators would be reusable after the pandemic.

Mamabolo urged people to do their part: “The pandemic has taken the health sector by storm and while we are working on understanding the new normal, we urge people to avoid reckless behaviour.”