From Prof S. Moosa:
"It’s been an amazing two weeks since I posted about Masks4All in Africa. An Africa-wide organisation is being established to educate communities about making and using fabric face masks, especially now that African government have come out in support of the message. See Everyone should wear face masks: Mkhize. I managed to be interviewed on Carte Blanche the same evening the change was announced! There are some great mask-related resources in posts and webpages on the website. There are also useful general resources on COVID-19 at ProfMoosa.com, including COVID-19 Guidelines for (solo) Private General Practitioners in South Africa. Have a look!
We have all become physically distanced but our social solidarity is growing. Virtual meetings have allowed us to become more strongly connected. There is a set of webinars that you must join to remain part of the movement towards a world of universal health coverage that prioritises primary health care.
The Department of Family Medicine in the Johannesburg Health District / Wits University will be hosting a 90min webinar on “COVID-19 and occupational stress” by ICAS and Masakhane Health 8.00-9.30 on Friday 17th April. It will be around the importance of self-care and looking at your own mental health and wellbeing in a time of crisis. We are also hoping to get WHO AFRO and WHO Geneva to be part of it. It is focused on the clinicians in Johannesburg, COVID-19 hotspot in Africa, but it is open to anyone. Register here. It will be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube.
WHO-WONCA Africa and AfroPHC continue their weekly webinars on COVID-19 in Africa. It will run for 90min every Friday. This week Friday 17th April at 2 pm (Ghana), 3 pm (Nigeria), 4 pm (SA/Zurich) and 5 pm (Kenya) Dr. Joy Mugambi will talk about the COVID-19 situation and response in Kenya (especially of PHC). Representatives of WHO AFRO and WHO Geneva will also be part of the webinar. Register here for the next webinar. It will be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube. Check your time zone.
WONCA also has a weekly webinar series on COVID-19 on Sunday at 1 pm UTC. Have a look at the COVID-19 page and check for the next webinar at 1pm UTC on Sunday 19th April, where Chris Dowrick, lead for the Mental Health Working Party will lead a panel on Mental Health with COVID-19.
The next AfroPHC webinar is 6 pm (Ghana), 7 pm (Nigeria), 8 pm (SA/Zurich) and 9 pm (Kenya) on the 21st April 2020 and dealing with Public Health/CHWs in African PHC. Register here. Check your time zone. We will have representatives from Towards Unity for Health and AMREF speaking."
