Dear Editor
On the back of the Premier’s Announcement that the Western Cape has officially exited the fourth wave of COVID infections, provincial hospitals will once again begin the process of re-escalating services to non-covid sections. In order to address each subsequent wave of the pandemic, healthcare services have reassigned resources such as staff and equipment in order to provide the best life-saving care possible to Covid-19 patients.
I am aware that the de-escalation of services often results in limited access to non-covid healthcare resources. It is a necessary protocol implemented by government hospitals across the country to ensure capacity for COVID patients during each wave of infections. This de-escalation of resources has resulted the backlog of routine surgeries in every province, not only the Western Cape.
It is vital that the re-escalation of services runs smoothly and will be able to address the resulting backlog. I have, therefore, submitted questions to ascertain the timeframe for re-escalation as well as the number of routine surgeries that are to be completed. I have also asked about the resumption of non-surgical treatments for chronic illnesses such as TB and Diabetes.
Despite our infections being below 600 cases per day and the pandemic achieving an “endemic” status, it is imperative that residents continue to get vaccinated while practicing the established COVID protocols to prevent the spread of the disease. We saw, during the fourth wave, how the vaccine helped to protect our healthcare services and staff as there was a sharp decrease in the number of hospital admissions between the last wave and previous waves.
COVID is not the only health issue plaguing the province. The health and wellbeing of residents remains a priority of the DA and bringing provincial health services back to their normal functioning is crucial.
Regards
Wendy Kaizer-Philander, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Health
