By OBAKENG MAJE

North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha has sent a red alert to the citizens of the province. This comes after the province experienced a sharp increase in COVID-19 positive cases and deaths.

Sambatha urge people to practice necessary precautions by keeping social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing, and avoid unnecessary travels to flatten the curve.

“At the beginning of COVID-19 experience in the country, experts warned that the country is to expect a sudden surge or sharp increase, particularly during the winter season. It is the middle of the winter season and the province has indeed experienced an increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases.

“South Africa is now standing at 224 665 positive cases and the North West is at number 5 out of 9 provinces with 7870 confirmed positive cases thus far. The province’s COVID-19 positive cases are largely located within the mining communities with Bojanala standing at 5246, Dr Kenneth Kaunda 1952, Ngaka Modiri Molema 480, and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati at 127,” he said.

Sambatha added that the mining sub-districts take the bulk of cases. He further said the province has also seen a sudden increase in the total number of reported deaths.

“For some time, the province had one reported death, and then moved to five and on the 2 July 2020. The province was standing at 7 deaths then suddenly climbed to 36 confirmed deaths on 3 July 2020. The sudden increase in the number of reported deaths is due to the fact that each case has to be thoroughly investigated before it can be reported.

“While the province has known of certain deaths which were suspected to be COVID-19 related, such cases had to go through the process of verification before they could be reported for inclusion in the NICD database and be reported by the Minister,” said Sambatha.

He said they have observed the common primary diagnoses among COVID-19 related deaths included pneumonia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Cardiac failure, Aspiration pneumonitis, Severe Pancreatitis, Renovascular disease, and renal failure while common co-morbidities include diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Sambatha said the North West province is responding to COVID-19 at all levels.

“All districts are now implementing a ward-based screening and contact tracing programme.  The department has now conducted 5 049 941 community-based screening with 6172 referrals. As part of the preparation for the expected surge, the province now has 435 standard COVID-19 beds, 33 high care beds, and 55 intensive care unit beds in public and private hospitals.

“The Dr Kenneth Kaunda District has 370 standard beds at both Duff Scott and West Vaal Hospital.  Klerksdorp Hospital will convert its XDR TB Unit into a 20 ICU beds, adding to 29 already identified and 20 high care beds,” he said.

Sambatha said the Bojanala Platinum District which is the epicenter of the virus in the province has a combined total of 82 beds of which 57 are standard, 5 high care, and 20 ICU beds.  He added that the Job Shimankana Tabane Hospital will convert 1 ward to house 12 ICU beds.

“There are additional 100 beds available at Bleskop while the old George Stegman Hospital facility will be converted into isolation facility.  A 200-bed field hospital which was recently officially opened in partnership with Royal Bafokeng has come at the right time.  The Province is also planning an additional 500-bed field hospital.

“In Ngaka Modiri Molema, the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital is to convert ward 2 into 12 ICU beds.  Ward 1 of Gelukspan Hospital will be converted in an isolation facility. In Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District, Old Vryburg hospital has been identified as an isolation site. There are 24 active quarantine facilities from both private and public facilities.  All these facilities excluding planned field hospitals have a combined capacity total of 741 beds,” he said.

Sambatha also sent his heartfelt condolences to the late MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA), Gordon Kegakilwe who passed away on Monday due to COVID-19 related disease.

Kegakilwe was buried today at Vryburg.

“I am saddened by the passing away of Kegakilwe and I wish to pass my condolences to his family, his friends, colleagues, and comrades. It is also alarming to learn that the Premier, Prof Job Mokgoro, and the MEC for Public Works and Roads, Saliva Molapisi have also tested positive to COVID-19.

“The department wishes them a speedy recovery. Contact tracing of all the cases including contacts with affected members of the Executive Council has started and at an advanced stage. I am a contact of all the three members of the Executive Council affected by COVID-19.  As a precaution, I am now in isolation with no symptoms and continue to do my work virtually. I will take a test on Friday,” said Sambatha.

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) intensifies a fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). This comes after an outcry from women across the country amid an increase on Gender-Based Violence cases against women and children recently.

The ANCWL president, Bathabile Dlamini embarked on a virtual consultative engagement with various branches in North West where she urged them to confront the scourge of GBV. She said the country is faced with two pandemics which are COVID-19 and GBV.

“We urge all ANCWL structures to take a lead in fighting challenges faced by women and the general society. We also appeal to women through ANCWL structures to occupy the centre stage while actualizing the ANC vision and bringing its service delivery programmes to the fore to address the GBV, food security, economic participation and education challenges.

“As the ANCWL, we will also emphasise more on the resolutions of the ANC and ANCWL NECs programmes addressing GBV, femicide and the abuse of children. Every branch of the ANC must work with women to identify and create awareness on cases of GBV in their locale. The ANCWL Provincial Executive Committee must capacitate structures including branch-based centres for improved ground service and outcomes on the challenges,” she said.

Dlamini added that all ANCWL branches need to establish women structures that will ensure that people receive social and economic relief grants during COVID-19 National Lockdown period.

“We call on women to regularly visit schools in the spirit of advocating for safety. Although we support the salvaging of the curriculum this year, we have the responsibility to fight for an environment that guarantees children’s safety and prioritise their lives and health first. The league is also mobilising communities for mass screening for the early detection of COVID-19 complications and infections.

“We need to strive for unity among women and show unwavering support for each other. Women must at all times give support and confront challenges facing them due to patriarchy, where women are deprived opportunities to lead, removed from positions and or not even deployed in strategic positions,” said Dlamini.

Meanwhile, ANCWL acting provincial secretary, Bitsa Lenkopane shared the same sentiments. Lenkopane said the ANCWL PEC has committed to actualise the branch submission made during the engagement with Dlamini. She said this will be incorporated into the league’s continuous programme that include awareness on COVID-19, GBV, Mayano Thursdays, Stakeholder Engagement, Economic and Psychological expert advice among others.

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Picture: North West Premier, Prof Job Mokgoro 

By REGINALD KANYANE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the North West lambasted the North West Premier, Prof Job Mokgoro after he went to seek medical assistance in Gauteng province after tested positive for COVID-19.  DA said Mokgoro’s actions demonstrate a lack of confidence in provincial facilities, which hardly instills hope to people who have no option but to make use of North West health facilities.

Mokgoro (72) announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 during a virtual Special Provincial Executive Council (EXCO) meeting on Tuesday following the passing on of the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, the late Gordon Kegakilwe who died from COVID-19 related disease.

Kegakilwe was buried today in Vryburg.

Now the DA provincial spokesperson on Health, Gavin Edwards said Mokgoro missed an opportunity to set an example for other politicians and public representatives to experience first-hand what ordinary citizens are faced with. He said it shows that government officials and political leaders abuse their positions to secure the best quality of services while ordinary citizens have to contend with poor and substandard services.

“The DA noted a recent hospitalisation of Mokgoro at a facility in Johannesburg, citing the “overburdened” North West health facilities as the reason for being admitted in Gauteng. This decision highlights the fact that the North West province is by no means ready to deal with the anticipated surge of Covid-19 patients.

“The 435 standard beds, 55 intensive care beds, and 33 high care beds will simply not sufficiently deal with the demand. Clearly, the Department of Health ought to focus its attention on urgently increasing hospital bed capacity, while at the same time ensuring that clinics and hospitals in the province are properly equipped and resourced,” Edwards said.

He said since the inception of lockdown, Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp, which is the designated Covid-19 hospital in the province, has been overcast with reports of unhygienic conditions, patients being forcibly detained and staff attending to patients without the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Edwards added that the recent suspension of Professor Variava after allegedly speaking up about medical shortages and other challenges faced by medical practitioners employed at the hospital, emphasises the poor state of this facility and its leadership’s unwillingness to address the issues at hand.

“His reinstatement was an act of admission on the Department of Health’s part for wrongfully suspending him and serves as an acknowledgment of its failure to provide the much-needed care to patients in need. The department is riddled with a high number of suspended staff facing disciplinary procedures, ambulance and medicine shortages, and R1.1 billion in accrued invoices to service providers that will, if not urgently addressed, lead to a complete collapse of the provincial healthcare system.

“It is therefore not surprising that the Premier would choose to rather be hospitalised in another province, but it is ironic that he would choose a province that is itself overburdened with high numbers of Covid-19 cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mokgoro spokesperson, Vuyisile Ngesi said: “Premier decided to go to a medical facility in Johannesburg for self-isolation because many people visited him at his official residential house since he announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. However, he is not incapacitated to carry out his duties as he was only presented with only one symptom -which is cough – although he tested positive.

“The Premier will, therefore, continue to discharge his duties albeit remotely and has instructed members of the Premier’s Support Staff who have worked with him closely in the last two weeks to test while taking the necessary precautions.”

Ngesi said the Provincial Department of Health has already begun with contact tracing in this regard. He said MEC for Public Works and Roads, Saliva Molapisi has also tested positive and is also in self-isolation.

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