Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, on Tuesday opened the Rev. Dr Elizabeth Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni Field Hospital in the Eastern Cape to bolster the province’s COVID-19 response.
The field hospital – borne out a partnership between Volkswagen, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the German development agency and local government – will boast 3 300 dedicated COVID-19 beds once it is fully constructed.
It is currently in its first phase. The beds will be accompanied by oxygen reticulation and innovative ventilation solutions for patients.
Speaking at the launch of the field hospital, Mkhize said South Africa has a long and rich history with Germany.
“VW is a well-known brand in this country. Established in 1946, it is the largest German investment in South Africa and is a major contributor to foreign direct investment, technology transfer and skills development. This project is indeed a reflection of solidarity by two nations to save humanity.
“A great deal of thought has gone into this project. This infrastructure combines the provision of hospital beds as well as the strengthening of the laboratory testing capacity… Many people doubted that we could build field hospitals in a matter of weeks like China.”
Mkhize took a moment to pay homage to Rev Dr. Elizabeth Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni for “the legacy of excellence and compassion she has embodied in health care”.
He said government, under the leadership of President Ramaphosa, has thus far done their very best to mount an effective response to COVID-19.
“It is important that we remind our citizens that while we do not claim to have a perfect strategy, it is important for us to understand that is with unity, cooperation and working together…that we should be able to face this vicious pandemic together.”
More than 50% people who have been infected have recovered from the virus.
The country’s COVID-19 bed capacity is now above 27 000; 400 quarantine sites with a capacity of just under 38 000 beds have been identified across the country; over 50 000 community health care workers have been deployed and they have successfully screened almost 20 000 000 South Africans.
“All the preparations that we had put in place, we will make use of at this point. Although we started with differing and flattening the curve, we did get acknowledgement from the WHO which pointed out the advantages of our proactive community-based strategy,” Mkhize said.
“There wasn’t a way we could keep a perpetual lockdown forever, because the pandemic is going to be with us for a couple of years. Currently, a number of vaccine trials are going on, but none of them are expected to give us a vaccine in the months to come. Therefore, we have to rely on a change of social behaviour to beat this virus.”
Mkhize urged South Africans to abide to the basic principles of COVID-19 prevention: washing and sanitising hands frequently, wearing cloth masks in public, and maintain social distance.
He said government’s testing strategy has enabled the country to complete over 1.2 million tests in just under four months. The backlog has also been reduced from 101 000 to 46 493.
South Africa currently has a capacity of 7 134 ventilators, 5 401 of which are currently available in both public and private sectors combined; 1 000 more have been pledged to be donated and 733 have been procured. – SAnews.gov.za
