Gift of the Givers provides PPE for needy Eastern Cape hospital

Gift of the Givers donated much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to the SS Gida Provincial Hospital in Keiskammahoek on Monday.

The non-governmental organisation's project manager, Ali Sablay, oversaw the donation, which he said was one among many made to hospitals in the province in the past month.

Gift of the Givers donated 1,200 N95 face masks, 2,500 surgical masks, 120 face shields, five pulse oximeters, five thermometers, 200 shoe covers, 50 scrubs, 400 gloves and 40 litres of sanitiser.

The donation comes after clinicians at SS Gida wrote a heart-rending e-mail to premier Oscar Mabuyane in June asking him to address a lack of screening, surface-cleaning, PPE, and monitoring machines which had resulted in patients sharing what was available.

Health department spokesperson Siyanda Manana told the Daily Dispatch at the time that the matter had been resolved and all personnel had every type of PPE and that three-hourly surface and floor cleaning with Biocide D had taken place.

In a scathing letter to the health minister on July 23, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa raised the PPE shortage crisis at the hospital, echoing frustrations of the nurses at SS Gida.

On Monday, Sablay said SS Gida did not even have oxygen points.

“They put oxygen tanks in the wards, which is very dangerous. They've already requested oxygen points from the government and they haven't been installed yet. That is one of the concerns they addressed to us.

“SS Gida is definitely one of the worst hospitals we've visited. Very, very sad.”

Sablay said the NGO would also be refurbishing an entire wing at Bhisho Hospital.

“We will be fitting the hospital with new beds, oxygen machines, bedding, ventilators, to allow the hospital to take in more Covid-19 patients as it will be one of the biggest Covid-19 hospitals in the province.”

In an emotional video taken after another Gift of the Givers donation at Martje Venter Hospital in Tarkastad on Friday August 14, hospital CEO Collen Ellis said: “We'd like to thank Gift of the Givers for a wonderful donation of PPE and other equipment. We really needed some of the equipment, for example the pulse oximeters.

“Some of the thermometers we had were giving us trouble. We are very grateful.

“Our hospital is very small. It's a 20-bed hospital so for our Covid section, we only have six beds.

“And because we're a small town, we're often left out.

“Therefore we're really grateful that we've been noticed and that Gift of the Givers stopped in Tarkastad to give us this wonderful donation.”

Another video taken on August 14 by Gift of the Givers workers after a donation at Glen Grey Provincial Hospital shows nurses dancing and singing after receiving PPE.