Patrick Geva is an undertaker who works for Ntsika Burial Society in Khayelitsha. He said that funeral parlours were facing severe pressure to ensure those who passed on due to COVID-19 were buried in a timeous manner.
The minister was speaking about support for new hospitals during his during his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, when he said that Tygerberg Hospital still had a black and white section and that structurally it was still there.
MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said Tygerberg Hospital and staff who work there served the whole community and province.
Receiving treatment in isolation is a lonely and fear-filled experience for most COVID-19 patients and 'Quintin' is doubling as a communication tool for family members to 'see' their relatives.
The masks, which are usually used for snorkelling in tropical waters, cover the whole face and form a tight seal.
One of the hospital's neonatologists Dr Lizelle van Wyk is an avid diver and was shown the mask by a diving colleague.
Dr Usha Lalla said that the Tygerberg team, in collaboration with colleagues at other healthcare facilities in the province, managed to deal with the immense pressure and surge in the number of patients requiring medical care.
Anthony McKenzie (36) was diagnosed with the disease in April and had to implement stringent isolation measures at home to ensure his family of six remains safe.
Nokwanda Nkonya (38) works as a household aid at the Tygerberg Hospital in the Western Cape, the province with highest number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the country.
The Labour Department had ordered the closure of four sections in the hospital following an inspection on Monday.
Parts of the hospital have been shut down following a labour inspection, which found them to be in contravention of COVID-19 safety protocols.
An inspection was done on Monday with trade unions following complaints that the hospital was contravening COVID-19 procedures.
The union previously called for the closure of the Western Cape's biggest medical facility until the correct health and safety protocols have been put in place, which would allow for a safe return for workers.
Tygerberg Hospital started using high-flow nasal oxygen treatment on COVID-19 patients as an alternative to putting them on a ventilator early on.
The Western Cape is struggling with the pandemic, and healthcare workers in the province are at the forefront of this problem.
The lab service at Tygerberg Hospital on Tuesday said despite its best efforts, it was struggling to procure test kits and reagents.
Amid concerns over access to PPE, Parliament’s health committee members are also worried about nursing staff getting infected with COVID-19.
Tygerberg Hospital has recorded more than 100 coronavirus infections amongst staff since the outbreak in South Africa.
