In South Africa there has been a significant rise in the number of positive coronavirus cases owing to an increase in superspreader events and a new virus variant.
For this reason, EthiQal, a provider of medical indemnity insurance for doctors, has put out a call for policymakers to prioritise the well-being of health-care workers.
New daily cases and hospitalisations in January were almost three times higher than they were in early December.
According to reports, the official average number of daily cases per 100 000 people in the country increased to 34.4 per 100 000 during the week ending January 10, 2020, significantly higher than the peak during the first wave of 21.2 per 100,000 less than six months ago.
“More than ever, the physical and mental well-being of South Africa’s health-care workers must be a priority for policymakers,” said Alex Brownlee, business head of EthiQal, pointing out the critical shortage of health-care personnel before the onset of the pandemic.
Brownlee said it was encouraging that health-care workers were first in line for the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The organisation said workers were no doubt a critical resource in minimising disability and death during the pandemic and therefore their physical and mental well-being was key.
Dr Bettina Taylor, head of EthiQal’s clinical risk management, described working on the front line as “tough”.
“Those persevering day in and day out without a break must be lauded. The constant need to maintain full personal protection is tiresome and wearing PPE all day is uncomfortable, to say the least. Mental fatigue is a major risk as well,” said Taylor.
The organisation said its had many doctors ask for advice on emerging medico-legal challenges and risks during the pandemic.
A medico-legal adviser focuses on addressing challenges relevant to a practitioner’s specific circumstances, ranging from questions on how to ensure Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) compliance with regards to tele-health, to dealing with moral dilemmas.
“Notifications for purposes of insurance cover should a future need arise range from Covid-related maternal deaths to patients having unrealistic expectations of a health-care system in dire straits, and being frustrated by Covid-related protocols and their implementation,” said Taylor.
“The commitment of many doctors and nurses, young and old, is inspirational and must be preserved. Every effort – no matter how small – must be made to make their lives easier.”
“Resources from all social partners – government, business, labour and civil society – must be harnessed to expedite access to an effective and safe vaccine, ensuring that our health-care workers on the front line are first in line to receive this, for their benefit and ours,” the organisation said.
On Monday, the first batch of one million AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in South Africa. The government said work to distribute and administer it had already begun.
– African News Agency (ANA)