The Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, must explain to South Africans, and particularly the people of the Eastern Cape, why the Covid-19 ward that was prepared in the basement of the Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth cannot be used to accommodate patients who are affected by the sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in the area.
It is unacceptable that an amount of R11 million was spent to fully equip a ward with 73 beds, but now positive Covid-19 patients are turned away because there are not enough healthcare workers to staff the ward.
This is equivalent to gambling with people's lives and the Minister must take responsibility for the whole mess that the province currently finds itself in.
Earlier this year, serious problems came to light in the Eastern Cape and the Minister and the MEC for Health, Sindiswa Gomba, appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Health in Parliament and put forth seemingly good plans for how the problems in the province will be addressed.
It has, however, become evident that neither the Eastern Cape government nor the Minister made any real attempts to resolve the issues.
The death toll in the province is rising and it could become a crisis if decisive action is not taken. The Minister must stop clutching at straws in the form of Cuban doctors, who cannot be everywhere at once, and must get help from the qualified medical professionals in South Africa who are currently unemployed.
That will resolve the problem of staff shortages quickly and easily. Imposing a general lockdown on districts or even the province is not an option either as it will lead to revolts.
Healthcare workers are not machines; they are overworked at the moment and cannot continue to function in this way any longer.
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