Solidarity Fund donates R16m to get more nurses in Gauteng, says Cyril Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Gauteng health department is recruiting additional human resources to help with the increased workload at hospitals as Covid-19 cases rise in the province.

Among the interventions, Ramaphosa said the Solidarity Fund has provided R16m to support the recruitment and placement of additional nurses in Gauteng hospitals to complement the military health team that has been deployed to assist.

The province has recorded the majority of new Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks, and this has led to more demand for health services as hospital admissions rise.

Addressing the nation on Sunday night on measures taken by government to address the third wave of Covid-19 infections, Ramaphosa said government has to reprioritise services to ensure there is sufficient bed space in hospitals as well as capacity to treat those with severe cases of Covid-19.

Ramaphosa said government is continuing to work to strengthen the capacity of the country's health system.

He said in Gauteng, the loss of significant capacity due to the ongoing closure of the Charlotte Maxeke hospital was adding strain to other hospitals.

“We are doing everything we can to provide additional bed capacity and speed up the reopening of Charlotte Maxeke hospital.

“At present, Gauteng has made available 830 additional beds by postponing elective surgery and another 400 beds constructed with alternative building technology that are now being activated,” Ramaphosa said.

He said government had been engaging with the producers of medical oxygen to increase their production to accommodate the anticipated increase in cases.

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