DURBAN - About 25 district municipalities across seven provinces will be provided with mobile testing unit for the Coronavirus by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
The announcement comes after the bank launched its R150 million Covid-19 response programmes in South Africa and the SADC region; the programme includes various activities that will bolster national and local government capacity to manage the ongoing response.
“The funding will make possible crucial interventions that address both short-term humanitarian solutions necessary to help fight the pandemic and long-term solutions. There will also be support for the local production and supply of ventilators to public hospitals across the country,”
“Along with these, isolation pods and medical beds will be distributed to identified vulnerable and strained communities. Some communities will also receive basic services such as water and sanitation infrastructure and electricity,” said Patrick Dlamini, Chief Executive Officer.
The district municipalities set to benefit are in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, North West, KwaZulu Natal, Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Earlier this month PPE for frontline medical staff worth R2.4m was delivered to the Department of Health in partnership with German DFI, KfW Development Bank.
“While it is still unclear what the final, full impact of the pandemic will be, we believe that it is only through our collective efforts and our partnerships, that we will be truly able to build a clear pathway towards a renewed and inclusive economy and society”, Dlamini concluded.
In the Eastern Cape, the Development Bank is paying for crucial equipment including beds and ventilators while the US Embassy has donated and installed 10 ventilators at two hospitals, with an additional 40 ventilators to be delivered next week.
"The beds, ventilators, screening and PPE will provide urgently needed additional beds in most rural hospitals," said Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane.
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