1. During the World Cup, the national health operations centre will link to all nine provinces, ensuring real-time monitoring, collating and reporting on the roll-out of the health plan, including incident reports using sophisticated information and communications technology (ICT) systems that boast an online system for all official venues and radio linkages.
2. Dispensing machines will be situated throughout the stadiums for basic drug purchases for the duration of the event. All stadiums as well as fan parks will include fully equipped medical centres, medical posts for primary healthcare and visible health personnel within the stadium.
3. The environmental health services will include safe water, sanitation and waste management.
4. In compliance with local and international health regulations, visitors entering all ports by air, land or sea will be controlled.
5. Special provisions would be made for the licensing of medical and allied health professionals with foreign qualifications, and exemption for certain medical equipment and pharmaceuticals to be brought into the country only for FIFA family and players.
6. Will embark on National Emergency Medical Service Strategic Framework (NESF) for the enhancement of emergency medical services over the next five years. This is an existing programme that will improve the delivery of emergency medical services to all communities. The World Cup has led to the acceleration of the implementation of the NESF.
7. Will communicate on an ongoing basis with visitors to keep them informed of health requirements and conditions, to encourage visitors to act responsibly and stay healthy.
8. Will improve emergency centre capabilities within selected hospitals and these include enhanced training for emergency centre personnel, clinical information data banks, refurbishment of facilities and disaster preparedness.
9. Will develop a comprehensive plan for communicable disease control including national and international disease surveillance, public awareness and strengthen existing disease outbreak policies and systems.
10. Will develop surveillance measures for local disease outbreaks. There is also an international surveillance system.
11. Tasked to prioritise the training of emergency care practictioners, and utilisation of volunteers.
12. Develop comprehensive plans for biochemical, nuclear and radiological threats.
13. Health Technical Task Team to coordinate planning for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and all official associated FIFA events, is comprised of:
* National Department of Health (NDOH) (convener)
* Provincial health departments
* SA Military Health Services (SAMHS)
* SA Police Service (SAPS)
* Host cities
* Organising Committee
* Employee organisations
* Professional organisations
14. Preparations Workgroup comprises of;
* NDOH (convener)
* Provincial health 2010 coordinators
* SAMHS
* SAPS
* Host city representatives
* Organising Committee
15. Private Sector Forum comprised of
* private sector,
* non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and
* government.
16. Department’s role involves providing services for the following:
* Heads of Government / State
* Government VIPs
* Spectators
* Vendors
8 Officials
* Support personnel
* Visitors linked to the World Cup
* Media
17. Department of Health will be the service provider to the Organising Committee for:
* Competitions area
* FIFA family
* FIFA headquarters and headquarter hotels
* base camps
* training grounds
* FIFA special events e.g. concerts, Football for Hope Festival
18 The objectives of the Health and Medical Services are to ensure that;
* medical centres, medical posts and emergency medical services are established at all stadia, training grounds, FIFA fan parks and public viewing areas
* emergency medical services are pre-deployed for mass casualty situations, at a staging area at all the stadia and in each host city, for the duration of the event
* contingency plans are drafted for emergencies, mass casualty situations and mass deaths
* emergency medical services are provided at the airport, event venues, major travel routes and designated HQ hotels
* emergency medical services are provided for all government motorcades
* medical posts are established at the FIFA HQ and designated HQ hotels for Government VIPs and visiting Heads of State, FIFA family and referees
* hospitals will be accredited and placed on standby for Government VIPs, spectators, and for mass casualty situations
* environmental health officers will ensure proper accreditation of all catering facilities at the stadia, FIFA fan parks, public viewing areas, nominated HQ hotels, training grounds and any event linked venue
* communicable outbreak response and management systems are placed on standby
* health promotions will launch a health education and information campaign for the visitors to the Confederations Cup
* port health services are provided at all international airports, border posts and sea ports
* forensic pathology services on standby for mass deaths and victim identification processes.
19. Number of doctors required nationally: 210
20. Number of nurses are required: 192
21. Number of ambulances required?: 530
22. Which hospitals (state and private sector) have been identified?
A total of 61 public and 39 private hospitals have been identified and designated for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. These have been categorised as follows;
* VIPs
* private paying (medical aid or travel insurance)
* part paying patients
* indigent patients
* specialist sports medicine in the host cities and close to team base camps
* mass casualty distribution
* isolation (communicable disease)
* decontamination
23. Licensing of team doctors take place
This process is clearly spelt out in the Second 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Special Measures Act, No. 12 of 2006. Questionnaires containing the information required have already been forwarded to FIFA for distribution to the relevant teams. The duly completed documents are required to be returned to the Department by no later than 15 April 2010 where after the process of approval will be completed, followed by the issuance of the necessary licences.
24. National Health Operations Centre (NATHOC)
The NATHOC will be the national coordinating centre for all health aspects relating to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Information is fed to this centre on a structured basis by the Provincial Health Operations Centres and vice versa. Due to the fact that the move to Civitas has not been finalised it is planned to utilise the South African Military Health Services (SAMHS) nerve centre as the NATHOC. The nerve centre will be staffed with senior management, planners and administrative staff.
25. Communicable disease control
There will a vigilant surveillance program in place and the Department will be supported by the National Institute for Communicable Disease and the World Health Organisation (WHO) country office. Outbreak response strategies have been reviewed and specialised outbreak response teams will be on standby in each province. Certain hospitals have also been designated as isolation facilities.
Staff will also monitor arriving visitors at ports of entry. Standard operational procedures have been developed to deal with any eventuality including food poisoning outbreaks.
26. Foreigners being made aware that they need to vaccinate
Although the flu peaks in June and July, we would like to advise people including international visitors to get a vaccination against influenza at the end of March and latest April. We would like to encourage the private sector to do the same. Although cases of measles were confined in Gauteng last year, we are concerned that there must be no repeat of the outbreak. To this end government has committed itself to conduct a massive national polio and vaccination campaign on the month of April.
27. Measles outbreaks cause for concern
No – not during the period of the event.
28. All relevant parties be briefed on their roles
Dry runs and event specific training exercises have commenced and final briefings will be provided to all personnel during the beginning of May 2010.
29. Leave during this period
Negotiations are presently under way with employee organisations to suspend all leave during June and July of this.
30. Capacity to deal with any medical emergency
Extraordinary mass casualty and mass death contingencies have been put in place, supplementing the existing day to day systems that already exist. Resources will be pre-positioned on a dedicated basis for this purpose and certain public and private hospitals have been designated to receive patients on a coordinated distribution basis.
Enquiries:
Charity Bhengu
Cell: 083 679 7424
Issued by: Ministry of Health
10 Feb 2010
