Newly installed minister of health Dr Joe Phaahla has had to hit the ground running when he was announced as the incumbent almost a week ago. He took over a portfolio mired in recent controversy that sought to overshadow the sterling work it had done since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic on our shores nearly 16 months ago.
Save for the scandal of Sarafina II during the tenure of the first health minister in the new dispensation, the ministry of health has largely been exemplary despite many other problems such as deteriorating health facilities. The public were beginning to view the department in a favourable light as Phaahla's immediate predecessor, Dr Zweli Mkhize, appeared to fight a great fight against the pandemic.
Many were starting to see in Mkhize something presidential until it all started to fall apart at the seams with the scandal around Digital Vibes, the company that scored a R150m communications tender from the department only to be exposed as being owned by an associate of the minister.
When Mkhize was put on special leave, then minister of tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane continued to do exceedingly well as acting health minister as the fight against Covid-19 shifted gear and moved even faster into the vaccination phase. The government is chasing the year-end deadline to have inoculated at least 67% of the population, a milestone experts have declared will guarantee herd immunity.
The third wave of the outbreak, which we are currently seeing out, has been more devastating than the first two, with SA recording record numbers of daily infections while the death toll also rose. It was under such conditions that the country was moved back to lockdown level 3 with even stricter restrictions.
On the other hand, the drive to inoculate the population gained momentum as those 60 and over were the second group after healthcare and essential services workers to receive the vaccines. We are now seeing the gates open for the latest age group to get the jab.
At the latest count, released on Sunday, 9,387,129 people had been vaccinated. It is a commendable number that appeared impossible not too long ago, but there is a worry, or actually two. When briefing the nation, Phaahla said analysis of the numbers revealed that 60% of those vaccinated are women. For some strange reason, men are staying as far away from the needle as they can.
While it is still to be seen how the inoculation drive will pan out when the department opens the jab to all adults, there is already a widespread rejection of vaccines, seemingly led by men. They need to come to the party. The pain inflicted by harsh lockdowns and, more importantly, the loss of lives, should be reason enough for everyone to take a few seconds of pain for the good of all.
Come on men, you can do this.
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