NW Health MEC should release deployment details on Cuban doctors
19 May 2020
Note to Editors: Kindly find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by DA North West Spokesperson on Health, Gavin Edwards.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West has noted the arrival of the 13 Cuban doctors in the province on Sunday. The team forms part of 217 doctors deployed to South Africa as part of the Department of Health’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At an astronomical cost of over R400 million, the arrival of the Cuban team must prove to be more than a public relations exercise and effectively assist the Department in its fight against the virus.
The recent infection of a doctor in Mafikeng, and subsequent delay in response by the Department has exposed its inability to deal with infections at medical facilities, which proves that the Department of Health has failed to get the basics right.
The 5812 tests conducted in the North West to date, constitute a mere 2% of all tests conducted nationally, which underscores the backlog on testing coupled with the Department’s inability to effectively communicate on Covid-19 data.
With the additional skills of a biostatistician and an epidemiologist from the Cuban team, the regular publishing of reliable statistics on the testing targets, tests conducted and infections per district and sub-district should dramatically improve.
The DA will write to the MEC for the Department of Health, MadodaSambatha, requesting a breakdown of the fields of expertise of the Cuban team, accompanied by a comprehensive contingency plan that incorporates these skills along with the proficiency of the local healthcare practitioners in the province.
The MEC should further explain how the Department determined which critical skills were needed to address challenges pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DA will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the skills of every doctor, specialist and healthcare professional is optimally utilised in our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Issued by Gavin Edwards,DA North West Spokesperson on Health and Social Development, 19 May 2020
