Call on SA businesses to donate protective gear in fight against COVID-19

A leading business organisation has made an urgent call for South African businesses to make their stocks of protective clothing available for use by health and emergency workers in the fight against COVID-19. 

Business for South Africa (BSA), a coalition of business groups which includes the Black Business Council and Business Unity SA, wants companies operating in sectors, such as mining, manufacturing, signwriting, spray painting and forestry, to give up their stocks of masks, gloves and gowns.

Donate stock in national interest

In a statement released on Monday 30 March, Stavros Nicolaou, of the BSA Public Health Workgroup, said all businesses were being asked to unlock their stocks in the best national interest.

“In almost every sector, there are companies that have stocks of protective gear that they issue to employees to protect them in the workplace. These are the stocks that are urgently required to be fed into the national health efforts to combat and manage the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

In its statement, BSA noted that South Africa has been experiencing shortages of personal protection equipment since January and that stock continues to be impacted by logistics disruptions, increased costs and overseas countries restricting their exports.

Nursing organisation warns that life-saving equipment is running low

The BSA call comes as the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) told the health publication Spotlight that life-saving protection equipment is running low and its members are concerned.

“Our nurses are not going to expose themselves; to work in an environment where they are not being protected,” Denosa general secretary Cassim Lekhoathi told Spotlight.

“Just as the president addressed the troops, we are saying our nurses are on the frontlines and they are not asking for guns. All they are asking for is the protective gear and then as nurses we will do what we do best, which is to fight and ensure our communities are safe,” he said.

Lekhoathi added that nurses were becoming increasingly frustrated that, as well as not being provided with protective clothing, their employers seemed to be unable to give them answers as to when such clothing would be available.

“Why can’t they disclose as to why they are having a challenge of securing the protective gear, because our nurses are not prepared to risk their lives,” said Lekhoathi.

Long queues at EC healthcare facilities due to shortages of safety gear

Meanwhile, the Daily Despatch reported on Monday 30 March that “desperate scenes” played out at some Eastern Cape day hospitals and clinics as people were “either turned away by the hundreds, apparently due to shortages of surgical masks, gloves and hand sanitisers, or were made to stand in queues for hours on end”.

The report quoted patients as saying that people were refused treatment at the Duncan Village day hospital in East London because doctors and nurses, fearing they could contract the coronavirus, would not work without safety equipment.     

How you can respond to the BSA appeal

Businesses and others who may have stock of personal protection equipment and would like to assist BSA, are asked to e-mail Covid19supplies@businessresponsecovid19.co.za.

Businesses are requested to state what stock they have, the quantity, manufacturer/brand, whether the stock is sterile (BSA will sterilise if necessary) and their location.