Durban - Relief organisation Gift of the Givers will roll out personal protective equipment to 100 State hospitals nationally this week.
In addition, front line ICU's will receive Hazmat suits and special protective intubation boxes.
Private sector medical professionals will be included in this "protective" approach to "arm" medical professionals in our country to deal with the Covid-19 challenge.
"Professional medical bodies battling to procure the PPE's (due to worldwide shortage and criminally exploitative prices) will acquire the items from Gift of the Givers at cost.
"The organisation said 500 thousand masks have started arriving on various flights this week," said director Imtiaz Sooliman
Gift of the Givers has erected eighteen tents for triage in Chris Hani Baragwanath, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Northdale Hospitals.
Sooliman described this method as "highly successful."
He said the tent triage system to reduce contamination within hospitals and is extending to many more facilities.
"Covid-19 testing sites will increase with the eight facilities for private patients at the reduced rate of R750 opening in Pretoria this week. Our multiple partners ensure a turnaround time of 24 hours for results. With the new mode of testing arriving next week the turnaround time will be 45 minutes.
"The ninth site, and our first at no cost for the public service, opens in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital next week in partnership with the government."
He said Gift of the Givers will fund 2400 test kits as an initial contribution.
"We are in negotiations with public health in Port Elizabeth to set up a site for government once again at our cost. Midlands Hospital in Graaff-Reinet which has been designated a dedicated Covid-19 facility in the region will receive extended support from Gift of the Givers. A dedicated vehicle for the purpose of transporting nurses between three test sites in the community has already been secured thanks to Isuzu," said Sooliman.
In addition forty medical staff are provided with bottled water daily, and forty-four SANDF members, manning the "border" post in Graaff-Reinet are provided with food and water daily by Gift of the Givers.
Thus far twenty medical institutions, various emergency services, metro police, SAPS Pretoria head office and other centres, NICD and Immigration Services at OR Tambo International Airport have received FFP2 masks, latex gloves, coveralls, head covers and disinfectants from GOTG teams.
"In addition to the protective wear, over 70 ventilators have been sourced with first option to purchase. Sourcing of video laryngoscopes is now underway.
"A dedicated vehicle, supplied by Ford, has been made available to Ahmed Bham, Gift of the Givers head of search and rescue, to visit key facilities dealing with Covid-19," said Sooliman.
The tollfree helpline for testing is 0800786911 while 0800786786 provides counselling related to the virus.
"In keeping with WHO and CDC recommendations, we have commissioned the production of material masks for free distribution to the public," concluded Sooliman.
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