Imtiaz Sooliman – Founder said that his team was deeply grateful to the South African public
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in cases and healthcare workers, as well as challenges such as understaffing and anxiety caused by the pandemic. The speakers emphasize the need for everyone to act with caution and use testing and testing techniques to detect the virus, as well as the importance of preventing further spread through infrastructure and sharing experiences. The speakers emphasize the need for everyone to share their experiences and support the cause.
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Uh, good evening. No. First of all, thank you to all South
Africans. To me the fact that South Africans responded in such a
manner, we were surprised this happened Monday night. I'm not on
social media, and on Tuesday morning, we were flooded with
thoughts and from the media saying, you know, what? Did this
happen last night? The public went crazy. And I did, and I was, I was
really surprised that kind of support. But look, we don't really
look for recognition, yeah, and we don't, you know, we not judging of
prejudice against human people getting an award for the good day
of that. We accept that. And as many people doing good in the
country, the continent and throughout the world, that's fine,
as the President's prerogative and that of the cabinet. Our our
intentions are very clear. When we serve, we serve for the benefit of
the people. We don't expect anything in return. We don't wait
for a thank you. We don't wait for recognition. And I explain that to
you in a minute
when I got instruction from a social teacher in Istanbul on the
sixth of August 1992
when he asked me to serve all people of all races, of all
religions, of all colors, of all classes, all cultures of any
geographical location in any very clear he said, My son, when you
doing this, some of people would love kindness, compassion and
mercy, and remember the dignity of man is foremost. When you do this,
you do this unconditionally.
You don't expect even a thank you.
In fact, in what you're going to be doing for the rest of your
life, expect to get a kick up your back. You don't get a kick up your
back. Regard it as a bonus. And then he said something very
significant. He said, My son, that whatever you do is done through
you and not by you,
and you understand that this thing is spiritual, that we don't take
credit for anything that is done, because there's a high hand over
our work. So really, you know, we had no issue not being recognized
or not being mentioned to us, 60 million South Africans recognize
us. To us that travel after 28 years, we are in the hearts of
every single person in this country. No Nobel Prize, no
mention of the head of state from any government or any award in the
world can replace that kind of joy and happiness to be in the heart
of every single person of your own country. Dr Suleiman, while we
know the gift of the givers for your work to feed 1000s in South
Africa and around the world, they're also providing in drought
and war stricken areas, helping in fire ravaged communities, and even
lending a hand in rescue during hostage situations. The covid 19
pandemic, arguably, was unlike any other disaster. Just talk us
through the work that you have been conducting since the outbreak
of this pandemic.
Well, in terms of No, you are right. It's unlike any other
disaster. It's a disaster that simultaneously has hit the whole
world. Normally, a disaster will hit one city in one country. We'll
have a couple of disasters in some other countries at the same time,
but no disaster beats the whole country, whole world at the same
time. Secondly, a disaster lasts, if you know, for seven to 10 days.
In an earthquake with sticks, we have such an SV teams, medical
teams, and thereafter it's a process of rebuilding. It's not a
continuous disaster, but covid 19 is a continuous disaster every
minute, every hour, every day, almost a year plus now. So it's
been a huge difficulty, and it's something you can't see. You know,
you don't know what this is. It's a virus. It's attacking so many
people, and it's attacking the people who are supposed to be
saving lives, healthcare workers. Large numbers of healthcare
workers have passed on in the second phase, and this is where we
started, when the lockdown was announced, it was said that the
lockdown was there to prepare the hospitals. So what is there to
prepare the hospitals? You prepare the medical staff, or protection,
or PPEs, when you bring in additional medical staff.
Unfortunately, both of this were not done. You know the crisis that
was in the PPE, 13 billion rands spent. Yes, it was spent. But what
do PPE is delivered to hospitals. We've been to 200 hospitals
nationwide, and we haven't seen every up till now, right now
today, we have been called for people for PPEs in various
hospitals in the country, so that we have failed them. In that
respect, it was not delivered. Secondly, and more importantly,
the hospitals were already understaffed before covid 19
started. If there was any experience that we learned from
Europe and America, because they were in a crisis, same as before
us, already we saw the toll it took for healthcare workers. So
the prudent thing to do was to get healthcare workers, those who want
to work in our hospitals, medical students who studied overseas, we
could have given them some kind of registration to be as backup for
healthcare workers. That wasn't done, and we can see the effects
right now. What's happening in second wave. The third thing,
which we got involved in testing immediately. We set up 10 testing
sites, put up mobile sites for assisted.
Country, because when you're testing with a big thing in the
beginning, when the when the first wave started, we put up tents, 37
tenths and a cost of 3 million Rand each in various hospitals,
because they wanted to triage the patients outside the hospital, not
inside the casualty where the virus would fit. Then we brought
in, of course, the PPEs of various kinds, all the hospitals. We spent
millions of that. We brought in non contact thermometers, post
OXImeters, and again, this was very worrying when we brought a
non contact thermometer, and it's not a complicated instrument,
that's what it means, expensive,
the nurses and the doctors started dancing like we brought them old
theater or an ICU. It shows they were so anxious and they were not
even getting non contact thermometers. So the question is,
again, did we do our job to prepare in hospitals? And I say
category, no, we did not do our job properly, and that's why there
was so much anxiety with all the doctors, the healthcare workers.
Then we brought them scrubs, and then they needed High Flow nasal
oxygen machines, which we delivered. And after that, many of
them wanted infrastructure. We spent 10 million Rand in doing a
dedicated ward in which was playing a 60 bed, dedicated Ward
30 days, which is that in sectors, we spent 750,000
we put up two wards, you know, for 20 bed, ICU, with high care, high
as you high care and oxygen points in five days. And then we picked
up a doctor's quarters in Bucha hospital and put in 120 bed
facility. So we bring a lot of things, but not only the medical
side. We put in one more thing, we put in 90 paramedics in hospital
at six nurses, because they were short staffed. The other thing, we
got involved in balls, food distribution, 320,000
food parcels, already hundreds we supported and providing fodder for
the animals. But these are some of the things that we need in covid,
in the medical part of it. And if you come into a third wave, we
have to correct to make sure that enough medical staff, because
hospitals, otherwise it's going to be a disaster, right? We are
running out of time. But before I let you go, just briefly, tell us
what's next for the gift of the givers.
While the same thing that we've been doing all the time, you know,
hospitals are still calling us. They still want infrastructure,
they still need staff, they still need PPEs. They need or the same
autopsy matters. They need stuff we're carrying on with that. A lot
of areas still want boards because they can't sanitize, they can't
wash, they can't bring their medication. We put in six four
holes Adelaide last week, opened it. We're busy putting more balls
in pedi. We've got teams going in Makanda, in Aberdeen, in half,
Mayor pedi, sorry, the fort, cofami, all different areas.
People want water because hospitals can't function without
water, and it's so many hospitals without water. And of course,
there's been a huge public demand on us to get involved the
vaccines. We're not involved in the vaccine. We don't want to get
involved in the vaccine, but we're getting a lot of pressure from the
public, from various quarters, from corporate from medical
societies, from the banking councils, everybody asked us to
get involved, and we are busy. And we will spoke to Hardy partner
about this. There are a lot of issues taking place in the
background, and maybe something will come up. We don't know, but
we are busy with something. And lastly, how can ordinary South
Africans get involved with your projects? Well, first of all,
ordinary South Africans get to what's very important. You know,
we all talking about the vaccines. We all worried about people
talking about ivermectin. You know that all and all kinds of
prevention, the best thing they can do is to make sure they take
precaution. We can't be reckless. The biggest safeguard, the biggest
vaccine, the biggest statement, the biggest help in covid 19 is
prevention. Make sure you wear your mask. Make sure you sanitize.
Make sure that you don't get involved in big crowds. And
importantly, the super spreaders are the families, because when we
go home and we work in different companies, we all take the mask
off. It's not appropriate. It's not politically correct to wear a
mask in your own house. You work in different companies. You know,
if you come back, you are a risk. You need to take care in your own
homes. People don't say that. The second wave, four to five family
members have died per house, and it's because we're not taking the
care. And the other way you can support us, of course, is to
spread the word of what we're doing. You don't have to give any
money, just spread the word. And some you can afford it, unless
it's thirdly. You want to give money the details on our banks, on
our website, or you can call the weekday or 807
86911,
and of course, if big companies want to support us, they can call
us. They all know how to get all of us to give big support, big
items. But one last point, we don't have to support gift of the
youth. You know people in your street, in your village, in your
home, in your area, that have been affected. Many people who are
doing well, who lived well, have lost their jobs. Ordinary people
have lost their jobs. Ordinary people are in difficulty. Quietly,
find them out. Assist them. Quiet.
It's dignified, it's beneficial. It's how South Africa help each
other. You don't have to come to gift of the givers. Many of you
know other people in the country go and help them. They'll value
you for the rest of your life. Well, that was a gift of the
givers. Founder, Doctor MTS Suliman, saying that even without
a Nobel Peace Prize, they enjoy the support of over 60 million
South Africans. Well.