Makause Covid-19 Campaign is appealing for an urgent solidarity support & assistance!
By General Moyo
Disease outbreaks often claim lives, and the number of lives lost since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on global scale is over 82,000. South Africa alone has over 1700 confirmed cases. In this light public health system should have activated the high alert on patients with COVID-19 symptoms. Makause Covid-19 campaign is saddened to announce the passing of Ms Marcela Jessias, a 39 year old Mozambican national who was a resident of Makause. She was working at a local Creche (Ba Birwa Day Care and Creche) in Ext. 3 Makause. She had suffered from malaria and was hospitalised in Maputo in December 2019 and January 2020.
Ms Jessias again fell ill on Wednesday 25/03/2020, and was taken to Betha Gxowa Germiston Hospital. She was discharged after examination and being given medication. She was taken back to the Hospital on consequent days as her condition was getting critical. She succumbed to her par pains on the morning of 7th April 2020, just a day before she was to get the results from lab as to what she was suffering from.
Makause Covid-19 campaign, relatives, friends and members of Makause community grieve her passing with sore hearts. Several questions remain unanswered and we demand the truth and information about this issue so that we develop appropriate strategies to contain the situation.
Beyond the state’s legal obligation to provide access to health care services, there are public health reasons for providing health care services to migrants. The difficult journeys undocumented migrants, asylum seekers and refugees have had to make from their countries to South Africa may have exposed them to health problems, including communicable diseases. especially in the times of dangerous pandemics. Treating these conditions makes public health sense as we live in a shared social space. The health of the local population is linked to that of the migrant population, given their integration into the wider community.
- What really transpired as the lady was well and healthy before the lockdown?
- Is her foreign national status the reason she was denied health care?
- Does the government have any plans at all for Makause community in containing the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the midst of the lockdown situation, the community of Makause is facing challenges such as:
- Permits for travelling from pillar to post and the public transport regulations along with the constraints that are within the regulations of the lockdown.
- The deceased is in a private mortuary were they charge R8000, for storage while family’s sorting out transporting of the corpse then to move it to another mortuary they’ll have to pay R2500 just for removing the body that has been there since yesterday.
- The new mortuary, in Dukathole near Germiston (SA Funeral) charges R4500 just for storage (without knowing for how long?), meaning the overall total to be paid to both undertakers is about R7000, just for removing the corpse and storage, the family is yet to raise funds to transport the corpse to Mozambique as well.
In trying to get quotes for transporting of the body this is the figures:
- For Mortuary transport to Mozambique is R17200, but using their own transport can be R7200.
- By organising their transport based on their experiences and understanding it can be around R10 000 for the Diesel that can be covering the transportation part.
So the body is going to be moved from the current Mortuary/ Undertaker to the SA Funeral tomorrow around 8am. A major challenge facing the Makause Covid-19 Campaign, families, friends and Makause Community is how to help in raising enough funds to help the families in this difficult times. In this regard, Makause Covid-19 Campaign, is appealing for an urgent solidarity support and assistance.
For more information contact:
Mr Anton Huo – Husband on 063 331 4698
General Moyo – Makause Covid-19 Campaign Coordinator on 062 473 9703
