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5 COVID-19 SPECIALISTS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE TODAY

15/01/2021 01:11:00 BY SABELO MAJOLA

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MBABANE – Five members of the COVID-19 specialists team requested by the Ministry of Health from the WHO are expected to arrive in the country today.

Known as the Emergency Medical Team (EMT); arriving today are two critical care physicians and three critical care nurses as revealed by World Health Organisation (WHO) Health Promotion Officer Dr Kevin Makadzange yesterday.

A total 17 members of the team are expected in the country and they comprise epidemiologists, biomedical technicians and a team leader.

Travel

Dr Makadzange said the health experts were coming from different countries across the globe and due to different travel regulations, they would arrive in dribs and drabs.

He said some of the team members were still being mobilised because they were coming from countries where their expertise was also needed, as COVID-19 had hit hard on every nation.

“In the next few weeks we are expecting all 17 of them to be in the country. They will assist in care management for severe cases of COVID-19,” he said.

Dr Makadzange said the health experts would not be stationed in one area or health facility, but they would assist where support was required.

He also revealed that the four-week period stipulated in the letter of request from the ministry, had room for extension.

A statement from the EMT Secretariat revealed that deployment of EMT was subject to approval by the Ministry of Health of Eswatini. Once in the field, the coordination of EMT activities is led by the ministry and supported by the WHO.

The statement advised that teams were expected to comply with the minimum standards of being a deployable EMT.

“The Ministry of Health is ready to provide necessary logistical support; however, teams are expected to be self-sufficient as required by the minimum standards.”

Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi, through the letter to WHO, said the Kingdom of Eswatini was one of the countries to Africa that was facing an unprecedented public health challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the country was currently facing a severe second wave, with more than doubling of the number of cases confirmed with COVID-19 on a daily basis compared to the first wave.