Masuku: Gauteng has lost 5 healthcare workers to Covid-19

Masuku spoke at an awards ceremony for healthcare workers in Midrand on Tuesday.

He warned that the province’s healthcare system is starting to feel the strain amid a surge in Covid-19 infections.

"As a province, we are now in the middle of the storm and we now feeling and facing the pressure.

"We are taking away from our families, our mothers, our fathers and children and these are people that are here to serve the people of Gauteng.”

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He said the department is not oblivious to the pressures faced by healthcare professionals on a daily basis.

"We have constantly worked at establishing a dedicated balance between opening up the economy and saving lives.

"We are aware that the staff in our facilities are bearing the brunt of this pressure as a leader of the department we are not oblivious to that fact.

"We are going to continuously provide personal protective equipment to make sure that it is always available for our health workers to protect themselves. If they are running short they should have the ability to call for help and make sure that we replenish it on time.”

Masuku said it’s important to remember the healthcare workers who’ve lost their lives during the pandemic.

“We have lost five healthcare workers in Gauteng up to now. Two clinical workers and three non-clinical.

"It's important to appreciate what they have done and what they have sacrificed."