KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Health (DoH) has responded positively to the DA’s call to implement a state of readiness in the event of a cholera outbreak in the province.
It was confirmed yesterday, during a health portfolio committee meeting that there are currently no reported cases in KZN, with the following measures also outlined;
- That there is a high-alert status across all districts
- That 70 officials have been trained on rapid response
- That pamphlets and posters are being distributed
- That meetings have taken place within all districts, municipalities and health facilities to focus on key preparedness criteria
- That the provincial war room is being used for preparation and response and;
- That there is close surveillance of all diarrheal cases with additional training on specimen collection.
The DA welcomes this response given the serious neglect and dysfunctional state of our province’s water and sanitation services.
The eThekwini and Ugu districts in particular have suffered during the past two decades and continue to endure long water outages and regular sewer outflows.
This is the result of misguided budgets and politically inspired populist programmes that continue to dominate municipal services under this ANC-run government. It is this approach that has rendered these essential bulk services dysfunctional and requiring urgent maintenance and upgrades.
The DA remains committed to ensuring that KZN’s DoH upholds its commitments. This ANC-run government must deliver the proper healthcare services our citizens deserve.