Covid-19 : Eastern Cape thumbs up from Cyril, thumbs down from patients

President Cyril Ramaphosa believes the Eastern Cape health department is making “fantastic progress” in the fight against Covid-19, but the temporary closure of four provincial community health centres this week has left thousands of residents without medical services.  

Ramaphosa and health minister Zweli Mkhize were in Port Elizabeth to assess and respond to new strategies being implemented by the provincial health department.

He was concerned by rising  Covid-19 cases in the Eastern Cape but  was “relieved” when health superintendent-general Thobile Mbengashe presented the department's strategies.

The president praised the province's coronavirus command council, which he said was “much broader” than the national council as it involved more stakeholders.

“You are making fantastic progress,” he told premier Oscar Mabuyane and Mbengashe.

“I must say I'm really impressed with the strategy. I can see the Eastern Cape is really awake. I particularly like the full outline of the strategy, the pillars of the strategy and the way you identified a number of elements of that strategy that are driving the intervention of the province to deal with Covid-19,” said Ramaphosa.

Yet the situation on the ground tells a different story for people seeking treatment at clinics.

Staff at three community health centres in BCM and one in Dutywa remain closed after staff members tested positive for Covid-19. This has affected thousands who make use of these facilities while they are being decontaminated.

Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo confirmed clinics in Nontyantyambo, Duncan Village and Gompo were closed because of confirmed coronavirus cases among medical personnel.

Idutywa Community Centre closed its doors on Monday for the same reason. 

DispatchLIVE saw no fewer than  50 people being turned away from the  Duncan Village community health centre in East London on Thursday.

A heavily pregnant Busisiwe Felem said she'd had an appointment and was unaware of the closure.

“This clinic is where they have kept my pregnancy history files. It will be useless visiting other clinics,” she said, adding the visit was her last before she gave birth next month.

Staff at the Idutywa Community Centre downed tools on Thursday, apparently after they were told to  continue working despite a colleague testing positive for Covid-19.

The nurses were screened and tested but were awaiting their results. They are demanding to be put in quarantine until then.

A nurse, who spoke to DispatchLIVE on condition of anonymity for fear of losing her job, said: “It is fair that we stay away from work until we know our Covid-19 status. If we continue to interact with the community we risk spreading the virus to them should the tests results come back positive.

“Some community members were even refusing our service because they knew one of us was positive.”

 Another nurse, who is quarantining at home, said: “I just cannot go back. I am awaiting my results. I need to be safe for my family's sake. What if I contract the virus from today and the tests come back negative? What they ask us to be is illegal and unprofessional.”

There were also reports of a nurses' strike at Frere Hospital in East London. Kupelo said he was still verifying these reports.

In his talks with Ramaphosa in Port Elizabeth, Mbengashe, who presented the province's “re-strategised” plan to tackle Covid-19, said the health department had made some  “fundamental changes”. 

There had been great strides made in securing hospital beds, ventilators, and intensive care availability for patients who would become “severely ill” from  the virus, he said.

Mbengashe said the new strategy would include reaching out to villages and townships at grassroots level, and  5,000 community workers would assist in this process.

Mbengashe said the department was also working with private practitioners to develop a unique and “economically friendly” respiratory machine.

“We have had to learn from other countries, and looked at good lessons and approaches. We want to say the lockdown has worked and our curve has been flattened,” said Mbengashe.

A  million people in the province had been screened for Covid-19 so far, he said.

Joe Gqabi, Alfred Nzo, Amathole and Sarah Baartman districts had lower risks of transmission, but OR Tambo and Chris Hani, which showed a higher rates of infection, would be the focal point of a mass screening, isolating and quarantine strategy.  

“In the past we deployed mobile teams to go out in the field to look for problems. With the guidance of the minister we have now created fixed teams which include epidemiologists and specialists who will follow every patient and monitor the journey,”  said Mbengashe.

"Hotspot areas which fall under the Buffalo City Metro and Nelson Mandela Bay are going to be very reliant on the national lockdown programme."

Mbengashe emphasised that stringent measures such as testing, quarantine, and isolation would be required for travellers at the province's borders to prevent cross-border transmission.

An audit was also under way to verify the stock of personal protective equipment at health facilities. Priority would be given to areas with a high burden of infection,  Mbengashe said.

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