Skip to main content

Covid-19: Nothing to 'relax' about in the Western Cape

In a vain effort to instil confidence, Western Cape health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo says "Relax, we got this" at a visit to Tygerberg's Covid-19 isolation ward.

A couple of things about her: she was Helen Zille's affirmative action appointee that the present baas, Premier Alan "Windbag" Winde, kept in his 50/50 white cabinet. All medical, administrative and I daresay political decisions about health are made by her putative boss, head of health Dr Beth Engelbrecht (Winde's only a matriculant and doesn't know from nothing), a white.

Mbombo is a cipher really, only coming out to speak at ribbon-cutting ceremonies, etc like the Covid unit.

A couple of things about Tygerberg: if this is where the WC's Covid-19 unit is then lord help us. It's in such a poor state that officially it would be cheaper to demolish it than attempt repairs. From what I've heard, one might get infections from just entering its doors, and that was before Covid-19.

And knowing how these drones at WC health think, the isolation unit is not separate from the hospital's air conditioning system. Recirculated air, 70-80% of air the system pumps back, is distributed elsewhere in the hospital. Note the airconditioner's filters are for dust, not microorganisms.

There's a truism about WCHD facilities, there's a 50% change of one getting more ill, not cured or dying after seeking healthcare. I don't have confidence in Nurse Nomafrench's "expert" assurance we've nothing to be concerned about.

Further, the virus is felling swathes around the world but the DA, and for their part ANC, expect us to believe they've got it covered. 

No Nurse Nomafrench, go back to your normal job of changing patients' catheters and leave the expert medical opinion to those who know what they're talking about.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

On the corrupt Health Professions Council

In 2015 the minister of health found the Health Professions Council (HPCSA) is “in a state of dysfunction”. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating staff who allegedly took bribes for medical registrations and exam passes. Whistleblowers reported it. Dr Wouter Basson won related cases against the HPCSA’s disciplinary committees in the Gauteng High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal for bias and conflict of interest.   Two members of the committee of the inquiry into complaints about his apartheid-era work were among those who had brought charges against him for.   Recently I laid charges against the HPCSA and members of its Third Preliminary Committee of Inquiry.   A member of the committee had a prior and ongoing business relationship with one of the respondents at the time the case was heard in November and May 2019.   That was a significant factor in the miscarriage of justice (see in this blog).   The committee was biased in favo...

Launch of Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum

Rot in the woodpile   On 1 October 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (HSACF).  The noble objectives are to “fight against fraud and corruption in the health sector who will together prevent, detect and prosecute fraud and corruption”.  Among its members are the National Prosecutions Authority, SA Police Service, Special Investigations Unit and Health Professions Council (HPCSA). However, already there’s rot in the anti-corruption woodpile.   Putting aside that the NPA is in a continual state of paralysis, what Sunday Times columnist Barney Mthombothi called “chaos and incompetence” among his severe criticism of Ramaphosa (18/08/2019).   Ditto for SAPS and HPCSA, which itself is touched by the stink of corruption. In 2015 the minister of health said the HPCSA is “in a state of dysfunction”.  The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating bribes for medical registrations and exam passes t...

Clean audits: much ado about nothing

 Auditor-general of South Africa Tsakani Maluleke recently released the results of 2023/24 municipal audits. Only 34 municipalities received a clean audit. Clean audit is an SA public audit definition of: financially unqualified and full compliance with legislation (mainly but not exclusively PFMA, MFMA and Treasury regulations) and auditee's ie client's own performance objectives. Incidentally, on the objectives, the AG takes the client's word for their completion or not; it's a tick-box exercise for AG as most of auditing is.  When Helen "Godzille" Zille was Western Cape premier she railed against audits as being an obstacle to efficient administration (really). She used the example of missing library books in the AG's audit of the WC Library department's financials. This was ignorant nonsense. Government departments, politicians and media get in a froth about "clean audits". When government audit results are released, media and politicians...