Institute for Excellence in Social, Health & Economic Research
In South Africa the root causes of spiralling poverty are complex. Key are inept government, mediocre policies of the people’s representatives and failure of civic oversight in the climate of proportional representation. The aspirations of the Constitution and Bill of Rights have not begun to be fulfilled.
In 2020, the Covid – 19 pandemic brought into sharp relief that daily more and more South Africans and especially children and women are going hungry. This is happening alongside the excesses of the elite and underperforming government bureaucracy.
IESHER is laying the foundation for harnessing and building civil society capability to partner with the government in a movement to turn around household economic opportunities and power access and quality of health care and relevant education.
Health Care Workers Tribute
Far, far away in Wuhan in China there was talk of a deadly chest infection in late 2019. The news flow was thin until alarming information began to emerge in Italy. The WHO rang the pandemic and its capacity and legitimacy to deal with what followed has been questioned. Frontline health workers throughout the world went on to high alert. Voiceless health workers could never have been prepared for the vicious onslaught of the first wave. They stepped up with selfless dedication, self-sacrifice, honour and unwavering courage. Barely had they the chance to recuperate before the devastation of the more virulent second wave. In most countries over 90 % of the health works in direct contact with covid patients are yet to be vaccinated, 4 months after the launch of the first vaccine, and the third wave has arrived and is spreading.
There is the agony of knowing that colleagues have laid down their lives. There is the agony of knowing you might be next. Waking up with fever and cough at night and not being able to go back to sleep – have I got it? There is the agony of inadequate or no PPE, living in masks and PPEs, unimaginable increase in workload from understaffing as colleagues fall ill, un-supporting management who did not appear on the frontlines, long hours, cancelled holidays and breaks, many worked 24/7 for months, going to work after sleepless nights and disruption in family life and especially separation from young children. There was the helplessness of insufficient hospital beds, ICU beds, equipment and oxygen delivery systems. There was the agony of unexpected deaths under your care, seeing patients gasping for oxygen and talking to distraught families who could not be with patients in their final days and hours.
There was the anguish of watching your colleagues in the first world receiving vaccines months before you did, working alongside colleagues who have not yet received their vaccines whereas individuals who were not on the frontlines received theirs, the ugly head of systemic racism and revealing that somehow individuals without integrity were appointed as managers, knowing the cruel misuse of covid funds by criminals masquerading as government officials, electronic allocation systems that did not recognise front liners, made allocations and withdrew them, invited front liners who travelled 2 hours and were turned away and a system that was manipulated by ruthless managers.
Despite the agony and the anguish, it is heartwarming that there was a once in a life time opportunity for frontline health workers to show their metal. They united and looked out for each in a powerful yet voiceless force to serve humanity at its greatest need. Looking ahead strengths that covid brought in the comradery of the health team is a great foundation for a cohesive National Health Service. Frontline health workers must have a voice.
IESHER is committed to the eradication of racism and especially systemic racism, from the South African fabric, as a root cause of poverty.
