BEDS, O2 SHORTAGE AT COVID-19 FACILITIES

MANZINI – The Ministry of Health is under strain following the surge in COVID-19 infections. 

Principal Secretary in the ministry, Dr Simon Zwane, said the country was currently under strain for beds and oxygen at the medical facilities treating people who had tested positive for COVID-19.

He said there was strain for space for beds to accommodate severely critical and critical patients. 

“There is currently no space for these beds at the Lubombo Referral Hospital and at the Luke Commission at Sidvokodvo,” Dr Zwane said.

Furthermore, he said the ministry’s facilities were consuming about 700 cylinders of 10.2 kilogrammes oxygen per day; which was a first for the country.

The PS said two companies came forth to assist government when the pandemic started as they doubled their production and started supplying them day and night as a response for the need of oxygen.

According to the guidelines for treating COVID-19, oxygen is recommended for adults with the virus and acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and despite conventional oxygen therapy, the panel recommends high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen over non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) (BI).

Dr Zwane further said there was strain for human resource as some responders on the ground had tested positive for COVID-19. He said while the first responders were recovering, the human resource dealing with the surge came under pressure as they were already stretched.

Challenges

Given these challenges, Dr Zwane said: “We can’t say we are ready for the virus, but we are doing the best we can to respond to it.” He said currently, the ministry was seeking authority from relevant authorities in government to recruit 47 personnel to fill vacant positions. Recently, the ministry had said there was need for 700 employees to deal with its human resource shortfall.

“We are hoping to make use of recent graduations of nurses like those from SANU (Southern Africa Nazarene University) to fill these positions as there were no nurses idling at home.”

Worth noting is that government had in September issued a memorandum suspending any recruitment in the civil service, inclusive of essential services wherein medical personnel fall under.

Also, Dr Zwane acknowledged that the ministry yesterday released guidance on steps of what to do after testing positive for SARS –COV2 (coronavirus). The statement requested the public to be patient while seeking assistance. 

Dr Zwane said the patience was requested from the public by the ministry’s personnel as the number of people seeking assistance was on an upward trend.

“Please note that the ministry’s teams will be giving priority to care for the following categories of people; elderly people, those with comorbidities; including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, cancer, chronic lung infection, kidney disease and heart disease,” the statement reads.

Mitigating

The PS further assured the nation that the ministry was putting all its efforts in mitigating the effects of the severe second wave of the pandemic. He also reflected on the fact that the Ministry of Health had noted an increasing number of clients that had tested positive for COVID-19 in the various laboratories and health facilities in the country. 

Among other factors, he said this could be attributed to the introduction and use of the Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test returns in the management of COVID-19 in the country.

Given this, Dr Zwane said: “The public and health workers are advised (that) once your positive result for PCK or Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test returns, you are now diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. To prevent further spread of the virus, you are advised to immediately isolate yourself at home and wait for a call from the Ministry of Health COVID-19 case management team.”

Dr Zwane further advised those who tested positive to keep their phone lines open so that they could be available when called by the teams and that they needed to cooperate with the teams as they asked questions about their health and contacts.

The PS said if members of the public were not feeling well after testing positive while still lodged at their homes, they could also visit the Malagwane EPR Base Station for medical check-up and to be enrolled in a home care programme.

While travelling to do the medical check-up, Dr Zwane said: “Please ensure to wear your face mask correctly, use sanitiser frequently and avoid crowds where possible.”

He said if this persisted after the medical check-up; the public should contact 977 or 7808 5036.

 On the other hand, the President of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), Bheki Mamba, said the ministry was not ready for the second wave. He said it was for that reason they had taken government to court as there were many things that were not in order. 

This, he said, included the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medication.

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