SA Hospitals Ill-Equipped to Handle Major Disaster

A FIFA medical adviser has warned that South Africa's public hospitals are "completely unprepared" to handle a major World Cup-related disaster such as a crowd stampede or riot.

"Hospital disaster plans are actually a disaster," said Professor Efraim Kramer, a Fifa medical officer and adviser to the local organising committee.

Kramer, head of emergency medicine at Johannesburg's Witwatersrand University, told a doctors conference on Wednesday that public hospitals had "absolutely no idea" how to implement disaster management plans because they had not been tested.

In contrast, Kramer said private hospitals, some of the best in the world, were better prepared and had good disaster plans. The South African government says public hospitals would handle at least 70 percent of the World Cup workload.

'Hospitals not ready for WC disaster'
Reuters
April 15, 2010

Swine Flu A Concern for South African Health Officials

Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi says an outbreak of the swine flu in South Africa could be disastrous during the World Cup -- and event held in the height of the flu season of June and July.

Motsoaledi said the department of health had managed to acquire 1.3m doses of the H1N1 vaccine and another 3.5m doses from the World Health Organisation.

"We received a letter from the World Health Organisation that they are going to donate to South Africa 3.5m doses of H1N1 which will arrive in this country by March," he said, adding that the WHO donation saved South Africa about 250m rand (£20m).

South Africa worried by possibility of World Cup swine flu outbreak
Guardian
February 15, 2010

Health Sector '90%' Ready for World Cup

Health officials in South Africa say the nation's health sector is "90%" ready to handle any medical issues experienced during the World Cup.

With just over 100 days before the matches, the sector has to finalise preparations for responsive health services, as well as a disaster management plan and prompt responses.

SWC: Health services 90% ready
News24
February 8, 2010

Medical Center Will Be Established at Polokwane Stadium

A health center will be linked to the Peter Mokaba Stadium stadium in Polokwane to help with any injuries and medical issues during World Cup matches.

The Limpopo Provincial 2010 FIFA Health Committee is pleased with moves to set up the centre as well as progress made towards the final preparations for the event.

The Committee, which met at the weekend, confirmed that Polokwane, Mankweng Hospital Complex, Lebowakgomo, Mokopane, Seshego, and Polokwane - Medi Clinic Hospital were ready for the World Cup.

Key facilities at these hospitals such as theatre operations, trauma centres and intensive care units have gone through an intensive checking process and will be ready to handle any casualty during the event.

South Africa: 2010 Medical Centre for Limpopo
BuaNews
February 8, 2010

Health Officials Claim Readiness for Cup Boom

Health officials claim South Africa's clinics and health facilities will be ready to handle the influx of people and patients during the World Cup.

Local organising committee (LOC) representative Victor Ramathasela said the country was ready to provide health services of world standard.

"I can confidently and boldly say that we are ready to provide health services of world standards and more."

SA clinics ready for World Cup influx
Independent Online
February 10, 2010

Medical Capacity During World Cup a Concern for Health Officials

Health officials are warning that the possibility of disaster is very high during the World Cup, mainly due to the country's low amount of medical workers.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the World Conference on Disasters and Emergency Medicine on Tuesday, Dr Wayne Smith, the head of the Western Cape's 2010 health planning unit, said it was "dangerous" for authorities to be over-confident in South Africa's medical ability to deal with disasters simply because the country hosted the Rugby and Cricket World Cups without incident.

'Be prepared for any World Cup disaster'
Cape Argus
November 25, 2009

Prostitution Clean-Up Has Some Worried About Health During World Cup

Broad cleanup efforts targeting the sex worker industry in South Africa have garnered the support of family and religious groups, but have some health officials and researchers worried about the lack of oversight and expected boost in prostitution during the World Cup.

In September, Cape Town set up a vice squad tasked with "cleaning up" the city's brothels and prostitutes - a move applauded by religious and family groups.

"There is quite a sense of religious and sexual moralism on the subject that does not help in term of public health and human rights," said Marlise Richter, a researcher who collaborates with sex worker advocacy groups.

"Making sex work more invisible makes it harder for sex workers to negotiate safer sex, and it will have greater influence on HIV prevalence."

South Africa already has the world's biggest HIV caseload, with 5,7 million of its 48 million people infected. An estimated 45 percent of prostitutes have the disease, according to a 1998 study.

Prostitutes fear 2010 clean-up
Independent Online
November 20, 2009

SA Has No Plan to Prevent HIV/AIDS in Visitors

With no HIV/AIDS prevention plan in place for the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to visit South Africa during the 2010 World Cup, health advocates are calling for new efforts to prevent the spread of disease. With officials also considering loosing laws to allow sex workers during the event, many are concerned about the high rate of HIV increasing.

The South African Law Commission is studying proposals to legalise sex work as experts warn of an influx of women trafficked for prostitution ahead of the World Cup, but it will be at least three months before it releases its findings. A meeting of stakeholders was also called last week by the South African National Aids Commission to discuss health-related preparations for the World Cup.

...Jonathan Berger, of the Aids Law Project, said the lack of preparation was "of concern" with the tournament kick-off scheduled for 9 June 2010. More than £800m has been spent on state-of-the-art stadiums and infrastructure projects since South Africa won its World Cup bid in 2004. Yet the country's HIV and Aids prevention and treatment programmes remain a shambles, amid overspending by the Department of Health, a shortage of drugs and an exodus of underpaid health professionals.

New calls to tackle Aids risk ahead of 2010 World Cup in South Africa
UTV
June 7, 2009