Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane

• The call for help comes amid growing outcries from health workers over under-resourced hospitals.
• The health department is racing against time to get to 10 000 beds to weather the coming Covid-19 storm.
• The provincial government is building field hospitals across the province to cope with the peak.

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has admitted the province’s hospitals are “overwhelmed” in the fight against Covid-19, and has asked national government for the support of the South African National Defence Force medical team.

The Eastern Cape’s hospitals have been struggling to cope with the influx of patients, as staff at some hospitals embark on go-slows over various grievances around their work environment.

Speaking during a coronavirus command council press briefing on Tuesday, Mabuyane said: “In light of our health system being overwhelmed, we have made a request to national government to deploy the medical team of the South African National Defence Force to assist us with the health intervention of our strategy.”

There are 27 686 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 422 deaths and 14 081 recoveries in the Eastern Cape.

READ | Eastern Cape healthcare has collapsed: ‘Sick people are fighting each other’

Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, incorporating Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Motherwell, is the Eastern Cape region with the highest number of infections, with 7 827 confirmed cases and 136 deaths.

OR Tambo District, with its seat in Mthatha, has the second highest number of deaths with 92 and 4 772 infections.

The Buffalo City Metro has 80 deaths and 6 767 infections.   

Mabuyane’s admission about the crisis of the province’s hospitals comes amid growing outcries from nurses and doctors about being overwhelmed by high number of patients at hospitals and a lack of resources.

Health department superintendent general Dr Thobile Mbengashe said projections show the province needs 10 000 beds to deal with the Covid-19 storm when the virus peaks in the province in the next three months.

They will also need 3 000 ICU beds for the peak in July, August and September.

Mabuyane, who warned that the virus is going to get worse, said the province was building one field hospital with 500 beds for all six district municipalities and two metros. He said this was “to ensure that we are prepared for the surge of patients with Covid-19 infections”.

Mabuyane said: “This will give us a combined total of 4 000 medical beds throughout the province. These are not normal beds. These are medical beds with all required medical resources and high care medical equipment to save lives. We have recruited an additional 1 000 nurses and over 5 000 community [health workers].

“It is clear to us that the virus is now at a stage where it is not only infecting us, but it is also affecting us. Thus, every citizen must contribute to efforts that are meant to fight against the spread of this virus. Our first line of defence against this virus remains washing our hands with water and soap, sanitising regularly, wearing our masks correctly all the time when we leave our homes and by keeping to the social distancing when in public spaces.”

He said the provincial government has appointed additional health workers for hospitals to address challenges faced by other health workers at the Dora Nginza, Livingstone and other hospitals in the province.

Police Minister Bheki Cele

• Police Minister Bheki Cele says SAPS may use deadly force to defend themselves and to protect innocent lives.
• He made these statements during a hybrid sitting of the NCOP, where he gave details of complaints against the police.
• Since the start of the lockdown, 49 cases of police brutality have been reported.

The government does not support police brutality, but Police Minister Bheki Cele has said police officers will use deadly force to defend themselves and to protect innocent lives.

Cele gave this stern warning during a virtual sitting of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday, where he gave details of the complaints against SAPS during the nationwide lockdown.

MPs also wanted details on the number of police brutality cases reported and the status of the cases.

Cele said between 27 March and 22 June, 49 cases of police brutality were reported.

Most of the cases were reported in Gauteng (15), KwaZulu-Natal (10) and the Western Cape (nine).

“Of the investigations, 36 were so far finalised. Of that 36 cases, 20 were found to be valid charges and one resulted in disciplinary action against an officer. No criminal charges have been instituted in any of the matters that were finalised,” Cele said, adding that 13 cases are still pending an investigation.

READ | Why Bheki Cele could face a legal challenge for confiscating alcohol

He also said, whenever a case of police brutality is reported, it will be investigated before any action will be taken against an officer.

Cele said police must act within the ambit of the law, but he made it clear that police are allowed by law to use deadly force if they are under attack or to protect innocent lives.

“Police are constantly reminded of the human rights framework they work under. Nobody supports police brutality, but police will use proportional force to defend themselves and protect innocent lives. They are also allowed to use deadly force and that is what the law says, not me,” Cele said.

The police and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been criticised for the use of brutal force during lockdown operations.

Most notably, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has recommended disciplinary action should be taken against members of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and police members allegedly involved in the assault and death of Collins Khosa in April.

Khosa was allegedly assaulted by members of the SANDF during the lockdown when they saw a half-consumed glass of beer in his yard.

According to court papers, they kicked and punched Khosa, holding his hands behind his back while they choked and beat him, slammed him against the wall, and used the butt of a machine gun to hit him.

Cele, however, gave MPs the assurance that police management will take steps against officers who do not act within the law.

“We have structures internally and then there is the Independent Police Investigative Directorate that oversees the actions of police. We subject ourselves to all these processes and we listen to other people regarding our action,” he said.

Dirt piles up at an isolation room at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda. (Picture supplied to News24)

• Two patients have told of conditions in the isolation room at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda.
• Used bedpans, overflowing rubbish bins and not being fed for hours are some of the claims.
• Department says the hospital has seen five confirmed cases, five cases under investigation and four deaths.

Going without food for hours, re-using bedpans filled with faeces, an overflowing bin and being ignored by nursing staff are just some of the conditions patients in isolation at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda say they have had to endure.

News24 has spoken to a patient, as well as the family member of a second patient, after they were placed in isolation showing signs of Covid-19.

The isolation room is for “patients under investigation” for Covid-19, pending their confirmed test results.

One patient, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, said it would be better to just go home.

Suffering from asthma, the patient was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after having trouble breathing.

On Thursday, the patient was tested for Covid-19 and taken to an isolation room where four other patients were also waiting for their results.

“The isolation room has been a nightmare. No one wants to come inside to help us. We have to use bedpans to relieve ourselves and those pans are never cleaned. The bin has not been taken since I arrived,” the patient said.

The patient also described how they had to wait for hours for food. On Friday, they had only been served breakfast at 15:00 when they knocked furiously on the door demanding food.

As of Friday, Settlers had recorded five confirmed cases, five more patients under investigation and four deaths, provincial health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said.

Kupelo did not answer further questions on the conditions at Settlers Hospital when asked by News24.

Founder and chairperson of the Unemployed People’s Movement, Ayanda Kota, said this was a common experience for patients at the hospital.

“We don’t have beds for Covid-19 anymore. The deaths are increasing in Makhanda. We buried four people this weekend,” Kota said.

Dirt piles up at an isolation room at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda. (Picture supplied to News24)

Patients claim they have had to re-use filthy bedpans at an isolation room at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda. (Picture supplied to News24)

Patients claim they have had to re-use filthy bedpans at an isolation room at Settlers Hospital in Makhanda. (Picture supplied to News24)

As of Sunday, 387 people have died of Covid-19 in the Eastern Cape.

A family member of another patient who was also admitted in the same ward, sought Kota’s help after learning of the conditions in the isolation room. 

In a voice note supplied by Kota, the family member could be heard describing similar conditions as detailed by the anonymous patient. Speaking to News24, the family member said their sibling has now tested positive for Covid-19 and was taken to a quarantine site nearby. 

“She has diabetes and she could not survive in those conditions. The treatment she received was horrible. I went there to give her food but they did not allow me. They said it was the law. When she was there, she was not fed for hours. The nurses don’t want to go into that room. She was waiting for the results, but already they were treating her like she had the virus. Even if she had the virus, this is not the kind of treatment anyone deserves,” she said.

In May, the SABC reported that nurses at Komga Hospital had allegedly refused to treat a positive patient from King William’s Town sent to their hospital, claiming they were scared.

The department condemned this, saying that it is constitutionally a fundamental right that every South African should have access to healthcare services regardless of their residential area.

Lack of education

Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) provincial secretary Khaya Sodidi said it was common for nurses to fear going into isolation wards because of an alleged lack of personal protective gear.

Speaking to News24, Sodidi said another challenge nurses were facing was the lack of education around Covid-19, saying some nurses did not know what to do.

“Everytime there is a new viral strain there must be a workshop. That has not happened [yet].”

They are busy raising this issue with the provincial government.

He added that as of Monday the union had recorded 800 infections of their members.

“We suspect that even that number is not accurate. We suspect that there are more.”

Stay healthy and entertained during the national lockdown. Sign up for our Lockdown Living newsletter. Sign up and manage your newsletters in the new News24 app by clicking on the Profile tab