Covid-19: Popular Eastern Cape doctor tests positive, warns patients

When the dreaded coronavirus attacked popular Eastern Cape medic Dr Sizwe Mxenge, he could not even walk to the bathroom. His wife prayed for his recovery twice a day.

After noticing symptoms consistent with Covid-19, Mxenge, 47, self-isolated before he took a turn for the worse last week.

He was tested and confirmed positive for the coronavirus, and then admitted to an East London private hospital at the weekend, where he has been recovering in ICU since Sunday.

Mxenge, who sees hundreds of patients a day at his King William’s Town private practice, has allayed fears that he might have infected his patients, saying he had taken the necessary safety measures by wearing a mask and gloves when seeing patients.

In an interview, he told DispatchLIVE how the respiratory illness had attacked him. 

“I just lost my appetite and had an irritating cough last week. I self-isolated at home from my family, but on Saturday I had no energy and that is when I realised I was presenting signs of respiratory distress.

“My wife prayed for me. I could not even walk to the bathroom,” Mxenge said. 

He was admitted at Life St Dominic’s Hospital in East London on Sunday morning.

“As soon as I walked in [to the hospital] I told them this is Covid-19. I am recovering well. I am much better than I was on Sunday and I am thankful for the medical assistance that I am getting. It is good,” he said.

Though Mxenge does not believe he infected his patients, he has encouraged those who saw him last week and people in general to “get tested”.

“My practice is very busy but I do not think I have infected anyone because I wore my mask and none of my patients showed signs of the virus or had a travel history, but still, everyone should get tested.

“Unfortunately the government did not make plans to protect all of us. It should be mandatory for patients to wear masks when they see a doctor.

“I have started with treatment and I hope I will be one of those who recovers from this,” he said.

Mxenge is so popular, especially among the elderly, that some people travel from distant rural areas to see him at his private practice.

Because of his popularity, he sometimes consults with patients until after midnight, and some patients wait from the early hours just to be at the top of the long queue.

Attempts to source comment from provincial health spokespersons Sizwe Kupelo and Siyanda Manana were unsuccessful at the time of writing as their phones rang unanswered and they did not respond to messages requesting comment on Mxenge’s sentiments that the state had failed to protect everyone.

Asked whether Mxenge had been admitted at Life St Dominic’s and what they were doing to ensure the safety of patients and staff, emergency medicine general manager Charl van Loggerenberg would not be drawn into commenting, saying it was confidential information.

Kupelo had earlier said: “The department has sent the tracing teams to all his contacts in King William’s Town.”

National Health Care Professionals Association (NHCPA) national treasurer Dr Nombasa Mayeko said frontline workers remained at high risk of contracting Covid-19 without sufficient protective equipment.

“As frontline healthcare professionals we are at highest risk. Who are we in SA to hold off [the] coronavirus when the economic giants cannot contain it?

“Anyone is susceptible and everyone should act as if someone else is the most dangerous thing they have met,” the King William’s Town doctor said.

Mayeko said the NHCPA would meet with the provincial government to discuss allegations that some companies had excessively hiked prices of personal protective equipment.

She said some companies had allegedly put protective gear such as masks at double the original price.

“Suppliers are aiming to sell to the government and not to individual businesses. It is  too expensive to buy. It is difficult to place orders as individuals.

“Screening equipment and thermometers, which are sold in bulk, and some products which sold for R70 before lockdown are selling at double the price.

“Everything is going up and it will be taxing to the healthcare businesses — even surgical masks have gone up. People are taking chances,” Mayeko said.

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