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Eastern Cape Premier, Lubabalo Mabuyane, has appointed a project management unit in the Department of Health to lead the province’s Covid19 containment and mitigation strategy.
The appointment of the PMU followed a report from a team of experts seconded to the Eastern Cape by Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.
The support team, was led by Dr Sibongile Zungu, included Professor Ian Sanne, Theo Lighthelm, Albert Jansen, Dr Dorman Chimhamhiwa and Wendy Ovens.
They conducted assessments of the Provincial Department of Health’s systems, administrative processes and clinical response capabilities to the coronavirus at some hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City Metros and submitted a report to Mabuyane with recommendations to address identified challenges.
In a statement on Friday, Mabuyane said that he would be implementing the recommendations of the experts.
He said the PMU team being assembled has the necessary authority to fast track actions, decisions to address each of the findings in the report of the support team, issues being raised by communities to the government through customer care platforms, complaints from workers and matters reported by the media.
Mabuyane said that the PMU is tasked with strengthening effective scientific based interventions to reduce the transmission of person to person of Covid-19, maintenance of low levels of community transmission and to mitigate and protect the functioning of the health system of the Eastern Cape province.
According to the findings of the support, the province’s two Metros have mobilised “reasonable infrastructure” to meet the surge, adding that the scale-up requires attention to the service delivery requirements such as the adequate provision of oxygen, equipment, human resources, and medicines.
It also found that procurement delays were hampering the surge capacity commitments.
Mabuyane said that the support team recommended that government urgently address problems in hospitals like Dora Nginza in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro which is being overwhelmed by the patient demand, lack of infrastructure, equipment and human resources to meet the clinical care demand.
He said the team also found that Labour relations are an overwhelming issue that requires a dedicated action plan.
The project management unit comprises Dr Sibongile Zungu, who was assigned by Minister Mkhize to support the province, as the Head of the PMU.
He also appointed Dr Monde Tom and Lawrence van Zuydam to the unit.
