‘Mr President, hear our cries as our healthcare colleagues die around us’

Health-care practitioners in KwaZulu-Natal are struggling to cope because so many of their colleagues have succumbed to Covid-19 in the second wave.

On Sunday, KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala said at least 107 health-care workers have died since the beginning of the pandemic. 

We have lost paramedics, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, admin staff, caregivers, every health-care division has been affected.

—  Specialist orthopedic surgeon Dr Rinesh Chetty

Dr Rinesh Chetty, a specialist orthopaedic surgeon in the province, said: “The death statistics take a few weeks to update, so it takes time to gather the information and correlate. [They are] definitely being underreported, probably unintentionally, due to shear volume overloading the logistics of counting.” 

“There is not one healthcare facility in KZN or in SA that can say they have not been affected by a loss of a staff member. We have lost paramedics, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, admin staff, caregivers, every health-care division has been affected.”

“I have already lost very close colleagues and friends. Three medical school friends, five doctors that I trained, seven mentors that taught me at some stage of my career and five nurses I worked with,” he said.

“Many are still sick and clinically borderline at the moment. I am trying keep track of their illness and maintain contact with them through their illness. It is very hard, but we rely on each other.” 

Facebook groups SA Doctors United and Healthcare Workers Heroes Memorial have been providing regular updates about front line workers who have died due to Covid-19-related complications.

The results are a bleak reflection of the number of skilled health-care workers the country has lost due to the second wave, which is yet to reach its peak. 

Chetty said SA’s health-care facilities have historically been understaffed, adding that urgent intervention is needed to create a unified health system. 

“There are numerous nurses, doctors and other health-care workers waiting for posts. Caregivers, paramedics and allied health-care workers in private and public [sectors] who want to help, but do not know the channels to follow.

“The powers that be need to open the lines of communication and pass emergency polices to get this workforce active. Actively advertise in all forms of media, recruit and actively drive for staff and the dormant providers will answer. Many just don’t know there are posts available or a need in certain areas.”

He said SA should learn from other countries about working as a team, rather than individual units. 

“Other countries have started training and mobilising all allied health-care workers and non-physician staff to assist within medical wards and intensive care units.” 

He said such a system would see: 

• Surgeons and non-physicians running field hospital units, inserting central lines and doing ward rounds.

• Dentists doing swab testing.

• Occupational therapists helping physiotherapists rehabilitate patients.

• Paramedics and caregivers aiding nursing staff.

• Speech therapists suctioning patients.

• Social workers helping to communicate with families.

• Dietitians helping to set up feeds and assist with ICU patient feeding.

• Mental heath practitioners assisting staff and families with grief and wellness programmes.

On social media on Tuesday, founder of Healthcare Workers Heroes Memorial Dr Maggie Mojapelo-Mokotedi issued a heartfelt plea to President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

“It has been a brutal week in the history of all healthcare workers in South Africa and the world. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare workers succumbing to Covid-19 and other non-Covid-related conditions. Leadership void — we shall soldier on weary and exhausted, upholding and living our Hippocratic oath to humanity. Mr President please hear our cries. Lord please have mercy on us,” she wrote.