Mkhize assures that the public sector is ready to deal with a Covid-19 outbreak, saying 13 public hospitals have been designated for isolating and treating confirmed cases
It is only a matter of time before the novel coronavirus that emerged in China late in 2019 spreads around the globe, health minister Zweli Mkhize warned MPs on Wednesday morning.
“This virus is settling in every country. The number is 81 today. I think in a number of months it will probably touch every country,” Mkhize told the parliamentary portfolio committee on health. “Everyone is up in arms about this thing because people are scared,” said FF Plus MP Philippus van Staden.
“We believe we need to close the ranks between public and private, so patients don’t fall [through] the cracks,” he said. While the state-run National Health Laboratory Services is currently the only lab conducting tests for suspected Covid-19, work is under way to accredit private laboratories.
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