EC Health Department ‘fixing PPE problem’ as hospital staff protest

The Eastern Cape Department of Health has admitted that it “didn’t do its job very well” when it came to managing personal protective equipment (PPE) in public hospitals. 

The superintendent-general of the department, Dr Thobile Mbengashe, said they had improved their system radically since the Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, visited the province in early April and pointed out to them “that we were not really doing our job well”. 

Since then, Mbengashe said, during a presentation made by President Cyril Ramaphosa who was visiting Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday, that they had started an internal audit of stock, they had intensified efforts to promote the “rational use of PPE” and had set a target to maintain a minimum of four weeks’ supply of essential PPE. 

He said they had identified the problem of PPE “disappearing” and had become more strict about what type of equipment is being worn in which wards. 

Mbengashe said they had less than a month’s stock of biohazard bags, gloves and goggles or face shields. But orders have been placed and close to a million gloves and 38,000 face shields and goggles were expected before the end of the month. 

He added that they were expecting the number of infections in Nelson Mandela Bay to peak between June and August. 

“We thought there was PPE in sufficient quantities. We were trying to understand why people said there was none. We couldn’t answer the question,” he said. 

“The PPE was in the stores. Then the minister told us he wasn’t interested in how much PPE we had in the stores. He wanted it in the hospitals.” 

He said since then the department had created management structures in hospitals to make sure that there is enough PPE for each facility. 

“We are doing our own auditing. We didn’t have dedicated people to deal with forecasting but teams from [the] national [health department] helped us,” he said. 

“Our equipment was also not used rationally. They are very fancy and they would disappear,” Mbengashe said. He said since then a system had been created where healthcare workers were required to wear certain types of PPE in certain wards. 

“The national department has assisted us to see what people are using. Then they said, look at the forecasting to see when you will reach your peak. We know June to August [will be] our peak months. There we have to ramp up and make sure we have all the items.” 

Health Minister Mkhize, who accompanied Ramaphosa on the visit, said he was satisfied with the improvements made to the province’s management of the PPE issue. 

The presentation, which was accompanied by union protests at the hospital, came as the combined labour unions indicated that they planned to shut down a quarantine centre in the metro on Friday 15 May over allegations that personnel had not been issued with PPE. 

Earlier in the week, a spokesperson for the Democratic Nurses Union of South Africa (Denosa), Khaya Sodidi, said managers had told staff that they must keep the PPE for “when the outbreak comes”. 

Unions protested at the Zwide clinic on Monday after 11 staff members were infected at that facility. At the time, unions said that due to insufficient PPE, staff members were wearing the same masks throughout the day and could not change their gloves often. The clinic was subsequently closed. 

There have also been protests at Uitenhage Provincial Hospital where staff members claimed they were not issued with PPE. 

Empilweni Tuberculosis Hospital had been identified as a centre for quarantine patients who are unable to self-isolate. But, earlier in the week, a member of the hospital’s kitchen staff had tested positive for the coronavirus. 

All staff at the hospital were subsequently tested. 

In a statement on behalf of the combined labour unions, members stated that the department should follow national guidelines and allow workers to self-isolate and only come back once it had been confirmed that they are not infected.

Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo asked that the protests be halted. 

“We wish to appeal to our health workers to please understand the ruthlessness of this faceless enemy. It will exploit the opportunity that is already characterised by fear and frustration. Our people should take precautions as advised by authorities, wear their masks appropriately, wash their hands and limit movements.

“The department continues to make every effort to provide PPEs and the national minister has also sent over 1.5 million masks to Nelson Mandela Bay. This enemy knows no politics, boundaries, class or colour. I wish to plead with all health workers not to abandon their countrymen in this hour of need.” DM/MC