SA medical association backs Covid-19 measures, calls for telemedicine

JOHANNESBURG – The South African Medical Association (SAMA) said it supported measures announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night to contain the spread of Covid-19 and advocated the distribution of health services and information via electronic information and telecommunication, otherwise known as telemedicine.

Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster and announced school closures and travel bans as the number of infections in the country rose to 61. In an address shown live on television, Ramaphosa said South Africa had now experienced its first cases of domestic transmission of the virus whereas, up to the weekend, all people who had tested positive had done so upon return from abroad. 

In a statement, SAMA said it was aware that imposing community lockdowns, limiting public gatherings to 100 people and closing schools were drastic steps which had the potential to damage the country’s already fragile economy, adding that these measures should not be taken lightly.

“Mitigation strategies are proving key in addressing the spread of the virus in many countries throughout the world, and appropriate steps such as those announced by the president will, we believe, have a similar impact locally in mitigating the spread of infection,” SAMA chairwoman Dr Angelique Coetzee said.

““However, we have seen that several other countries which developed heavy caseloads have implemented drastic mitigation strategies. These have depended on strong community responses, led by clear government directives. We urge the same approach in South Africa.”

Source: iol.co.za