By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Gauteng MEC of Health Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, has confirmed that 20 people have now died amid the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, north of Tshwane.
Nkomo-Ralehoko confirmed the new death toll while presenting the Health Department’s Budget Vote for the financial year 2023/ 2024 on Thursday morning.
“The number of laboratory confirmed cases of cholera is standing at 29, to date 20 people have passed on from the disease outbreak. the total number of patients admitted due to gastrointestinal infections was 79.”
The death toll has climbed by three more people in 24 hours.
Hammanskraal residents have been urged to practice good hygiene, like hand washing, to curb the spread of the disease.
“The number of patients that have been seen at the Jubilee District Hospital as of Wednesday afternoon is sitting at 179, and this number includes 18 patients who have been transferred to Dr. Goerge Mukhari Academic Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Tshwane”, said MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.
She has sent her condolences to the affected families.
Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu says the Hammanskraal water crisis can be traced back to 2004.
“It’s an ugly history that someone as far back as 2004 said Rooiwal, as a waste water treatment plant, is going to be disastrous unless it gets attended to timely and efficiently. Similar to the story of energy supply in South Africa,” Mchunu said.
He said the outbreak needs to serve as a wake-up call to the government.
“My comment is that this is a wake-up call. And if we don’t wake up now we will never wake up. It’s painful now but we have to stand up and fix the problem once and for all.”
On Wednesday, the City of Tshwane allocated R450 million towards the treatment of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Meanwhile the nursing union Denosa in Gauteng has urged the Department of Health to assign adequate nursing staff in hospitals.
Denosa’s Bongani Mazibuko says the hospital does have enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), but is experiencing a shortage of health staff.
“What we are saying is that we need more PPEs to be able to assist there and more nurses are needed to come up so we don’t end up over burdening the nurses that are there and we don’t end up causing them to have a burn out.
“We totally do not agree with the sentiments that there was adequate staff. We have long been advocating saying that there’s a shortage of staff in the Department of Health and in Gauteng as well. The truth of the matter is that the services that are being offered currently, and the population of Gauteng has grown and the services are more now.”
Mazibuko added that the nurses that were being employed at that time cannot be adequate to address the current challenges in the Department.
To date, 29 laboratory cases of Cholera have been confirmed, and 67 patients have been admitted due to gastrointestinal infection.