Pixabay
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa in the Eastern Cape said it was in full support of the call by Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, for the alcohol sales ban to be re-instated.
Denosa said in a statement on Tuesday that easing of restrictions on the sale of alcohol was overwhelming the healthcare system and undermined the country’s level of preparedness for COVID-19.
The Premier told his Coronavirus Command Council last week that he was considering engaging national government to have the booze ban reinstated following a surge in alcohol-related incidents including crime, accidents and boozy street parties.
Denosa said it hoped that Mabuyane would get the full support from the premiers of provinces.
“As soon as the ban was lifted on 1 June, health workers experienced an influx of emergency cases at various trauma units in both the province and the country, ranging from stab wounds, fights to motor vehicle accidents,” said Denosa’s Khaya Sodidi.
“At Dora Nginza Hospital in Port Elizabeth, for example, the Thuthuzela Care Centre, which deals with cases related to sexual violence and abuse, reported a steep increase of 90% in cases since the lifting of the ban on alcohol.”
“The hospitals and clinics in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro also saw a general increase in trauma cases, some as a result of gender-based violence,” he said.
Sodidi said that reversing the decision to uplift the ban on alcohol sales was likely to see a marked reduction in the number of emergencies now being seen in healthcare facilities.
