South Africa doctors forced to choose who to save

Medical professionals in South Africa are having to choose who to save as the system is under huge pressure because of a third Covid wave, local media reports.

Bayanda Gumede, a Chief Nephrology Technologist at a renal clinic for kidney disease, told the BBC’s Newsday programme that hospital admission rates were alarming and healthcare workers were exhausted.Quote Message: Patients wait sometimes two to three days in casualty before they can get a bed, that’s how dire the situation is.”

Patients wait sometimes two to three days in casualty before they can get a bed, that’s how dire the situation is.”

Dr Gumede told about how a critical patient had waited for three hours for an ambulance, only for paramedics to say they had no hospital bed to take the patient to.Quote Message: I had to prioritise, I took oxygen from one patient and gave it to her immediately because the oxygen saturation was extremely low.”

I had to prioritise, I took oxygen from one patient and gave it to her immediately because the oxygen saturation was extremely low.”

The doctor explained how paramedics have to look for hospital beds outside Gauteng province as most hospitals are full.Quote Message: This third wave currently in Gauteng is far worse than the second wave.”

This third wave currently in Gauteng is far worse than the second wave.”

Doctors said there was a lack of preparedness by the government as the patient-doctor ratio was low even before the coronavirus pandemic.