Nonprofit public benefit organisation, the South African Medical and Education Foundation (SAME) is appealing to the nation, particularly domestic business, to assist in raising R500-million.

The money is urgently needed for critical medical equipment required to protect healthcare workers, effectively ease the impact of Covid-19 and end the national lockdown that is in its third week.

SAME has, for 17 years, been assisting government healthcare and education facilities with much-needed renovations and equipment.

Foundation CEO Trevor Pols says that the organisation has mobilised to assist the Department of Health to effectively and urgently assist with the purchasing and distribution of lifesaving medical equipment. The urgent appeal comes at a critical time to speed up the distribution of medical essentials to provinces that are in desperate need.

He explains that the current five-week lockdown, which has “paralysed our economy” is effectively buying the government a couple more months to prepare for a flooding of hospitals at the end of winter when the pandemic is set to reach its peak.

“Early forecasts suggest the current lockdown is costing the economy an estimated R13-billion a day.”

Pols says the reality is that until local hospitals are equipped and ready to manage the next wave of infections, the government will be left with no choice but to continue extending the lockdown period.

In terms of cost perspective, he says private hospital group Netcare recently spent R150-million in efforts to enhance its readiness to treat Covid-19 patients.

“We are appealing to business in South Africa to look to make a monetary contribution into healthcare facilities so that our economy can survive,” Pols says, adding that such businesses should look at these contributions into healthcare as economic investments required to end the impact of the lockdown.

Thus far, large corporates have assisted SAME in securing some of the necessary equipment required to properly assist the official Covid-19 healthcare facilities in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

However, he says only R6.1-million out of an initial estimated R50-million in funding, has been secured to buy and distribute beds, patient monitors, ventilators, medical supplies and personal protective equipment items for the initial four hospitals.

Current donors include AngloGold Ashanti, Philip Morris South Africa, Standard Bank, DRDGold, Adcock Ingram Healthcare and the Trisano Trust. Their contributions have secured some of the most important pieces of medical equipment, which have already been distributed to Chris Hani Baragwanath and Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng, and the Tygerberg Hospital and Khayelitsha Hospital in the Western Cape.

Pols points out that the businesses which have quickly, and without hesitation, provided this funding have all realised the necessary implications of an extended lockdown and realise that without the healthcare sector being equipped the economic impact will continue to become increasingly severe.

Internationally, appropriate beds and medical equipment have been in dire shortage and South Africa is not the exception, he says. “The outbreak is expected to get much worse in the coming months and to the detriment of millions of South Africans our already overburdened healthcare system will not be able to cope.”

“Our aim is to work with hospitals around the country that need emergency assistance with equipping their isolation wards and treatment wards for Covid-19; but medical equipment is expensive to procure,” Pols adds.

SAME has also applied to the Solidarity Fund to assist with the capital needed but at this stage the process is taking too long, he notes.

Pols exclaims that it is no exaggeration to say that South Africa is still not ready to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a result, many people will lose their lives. “With little publicly-available information about the situation on the ground what we have seen would scare anyone.”

He says this is a desperate appeal as health workers are operating under immense pressure and expectations of them are extremely unrealistic and bordering on inhumane, based on the conditions they operate under.

Post Covid-19, Pols says its projects have a lifespan of as long as its medical equipment is guaranteed and usable. “While these actions will immediately save lives and assist with the coronavirus pandemic it will also mean that in the years to come our public hospitals will be well equipped to better serve their communities.”