Denosa: Provision of PPE for health workers vital during coronavirus pandemic
According to the Western Cape Health Department, 239 health workers have tested positive for the virus and three have died.
CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) said it is vital that nurses working on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic be provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Last week Thursday nurses downed tools at the District Six Day Hospital because of a lack of measures to combat the spread the virus and on International Nurses day, health workers at Tygerberg Hospital held a protest as they were concerned over how the pandemic is being managed at the facility.
According to the Western Cape Health Department, 239 health workers have tested positive for the virus and three have died.
Nurses at the District Six facility said they were not informed of the positive case and the facility had not been deep cleaned.
Denosa's Danver Roman said on an executive management level, there's an agreement on what the policy should be, however, when it comes to the execution on senior, middle and junior management level - it is not properly implemented.
He said when there is a case the whole unit should be sanitised and that staff should be informed and those who had been in contact with an infected person should be quarantined.
Six facilities were closed in the Western Cape last week due to COVID-19 cases. On Sunday, the provincial Department of Health confirmed that the facilities have been decontaminated and have since reopened.
