Just News |
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in KwaZulu-Natal is calling on the government to prioritize the clearing of routes to the many affected healthcare facilities as access to these by both patients and healthcare workers has become impossible. This is as the province is left to count the costs of the floods which affected thousands of people and damaged amenities.
DENOSA KZN Provincial Chairperson Sibonelo Cele said while more than 300 people have been declared dead so far, hundreds more are in desperate need of emergency care which they are not able to access due to the damage to the roads caused by the floods. “Equally, many nurses are not able to report for work or go home. Most of the facilities which have been hit the hardest so far are in the eThekwini District, with some in the Ugu District and Umkhanyakude District also affected.”
Cele said nurses are particularly concerned with patients on chronic medication who could be in desperate need of their medication but won’t be able to access healthcare facilities.
“Many Community Healthcare Centres (CHCs), those that are easily accessible, experienced high volumes of trauma cases and they experienced challenges with transferring patients due to the unavailability of ambulances.”
Cele further said while many people who are left destitute will be accommodated in many public amenities, “DENOSA would like to point out that many of them will need to be assisted with their medication which they may have lost to the floods so that they do not default on their treatment.”
