Health
Question by:
Hon Rachel Windvogel
Answered by:
Hon Nomafrench Mbombo
Question Number:
17
Question Body:
With regard to the service pressures relating to the COVID-19 outbreak:
- Whether any provision has been made to get additional therapists and counsellors to assist the front-line medical personnel; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
- what measure have been put in place to help medical personnel to cope emotionally and physically in the event of an increasing death toll due to the virus?
Answer Body:
- We have launched our recruitment system for volunteer health workers, and will add any health workers with the pre-requisite skills to this system. In the event of additional staff required, the Department can make use of agency personnel.
- The Department has an Employee Health and Wellness Programme in place which offers counselling services to both staff and their family members. The Department has met with labour on a regular basis to address concerns which staff may have. To this extend we have developed guidelines to allow staff to work from home or different work environment where possible, increased our personal protective equipment stock and we are in the process of issuing each health employee with two cloth masks to use when they travel to and from work and when they engage clients. We have also made available alcohol-based hand sanitisers at facilities and buildings.
Date:
Thursday, April 30, 2020
