OPERATION 100 of Covid-19 Taskforce Chairperson Inambao Sitwala says it is sad to learn from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the Ministry of Health had faulty ventilators in health facilities at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sitwala has observed that Covid-19 has dramatically shifted the culture of social relations ranging from greeting norms to how closely people physically communicate.

In an interview, Sitwala said having faulty ventilators put a lot of lives at risk.

“Oxygen is a fundamental element in all living things and without sufficient amounts of it, then a living human-being is considered lifeless or dead. Oxygen is used in many ways for the purposes of combustion in industries as well as in hospitals to support life of patients and clients that may not have the ability to breathe in sufficiently on their own. It therefore makes sad reading to learn from the Public Accounts Committee that the Ministry of Health had faulty ventilators in our health facilities during and when COVID-19 was at its peak. Suffocation, being one of the major probable conditions one may enter in as a result of Covid-19 infection progression, this condition may worsen if there is no ventilator that is working properly as a life support system. Eventually, one may die,” Sitwala said.

Meanwhile, Sitwala noted that Covid-19 had brought about adjustments in the way people associated.

“Covid-19 is a new disease in our society and many researches are currently ongoing but here are some of the effects of Covid-19 that have an impact on social and family support. Covid-19 has had effects on how people relate and it has dramatically shifted our culture of relations ranging from greeting norms to how closely we physically communicate. Families have had support to those infected as much as they remain affected. Some of the negative effects are increased financial stress, increased stress and fatigue, fear of the unknown, feeling apprehensive, feeling helpless and feeling horrified,” he said.

And Sitwala highlighted the need for segmented Covid-19 information to reach out to the marginalised.

“Segmentation of information, much effort is indelibly appreciated on what the Ministry of Health is doing pertaining to information dissemination. However, information being key, the ministry should consider reaching out to the marginalised, such as the blind, the deaf and others who are differently abled,” said Sitwala.