A number of social media accounts have posted claims that the Western Cape Department of Health is manipulating the COVID-19 mortality rate in the province. This has resulted in the Department putting out a statement refuting these allegations.
Speaking to Radio 786, the Head of the Provincial Health Department Dr Keith Cloete said that when there is a documented evidence of the virus and it played a contributing factor in the victim’s death, this is categorised as a COVID-19 death.
As of June 1, a number of medical health professionals have been deployed to help doctors across South Africa fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The estimated budget cost is informed by actual appointment levels of the Cuban health brigade as determined by their registration category, which took into consideration years of experience,” Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize said during a Parliamentary briefing. “All the family physicians and biostatisticians are appointed at grade 2 of medical officer level, and epidemiology technologists/health technology and public health specialists are at deputy director level, while biomedical engineers are at ASD level.”
The doctors will be in South Africa until April 2021, and include:
– 32 health technologists
– 116 family physicians
– 18 epidemiology technologists
– 2 public health specialists
– 5 biomedical engineers
– 1 nurse
– 13 biostatistics
Also read: Cuban doctors cost SA R239-million
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