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The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), will look at how frontline healthcare personnel manage their own physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This follows the work done by the HSRC in collaboration with  UKZN Medical School,  Edendale Hospital and medical students from Walter Sisulu University in April-May 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic.  

This study aims to:

• Provide an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences, challenges and vulnerabilities of healthcare personnel and their families amidst the Covid-19 pandemic
• Describe the psychosocial and healthcare support services that are currently available for healthcare personnel 
• Explore the factors that contribute to anxiety and stress amongst healthcare personnel
• Describe the extent and severity of Covid-19 stigma felt by healthcare personnel

The study will be conducted in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal since these provinces have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthcare personnel will be recruited through a network of partners to participate in: in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and an electronic platform known as ‘Covid Confidential’ to record personal stories of trauma amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Healthcare personnel have been at the forefront of fighting the pandemic and protecting them from COVID-19 has been a global priority.  Against this background, it is very important to understand how the pandemic has affected the health and wellbeing of these soldiers in the fight against COVID-19.

In South Africa, hundreds of healthcare personnel have succumbed to the disease and as it becomes clear that the country has entered the third wave of the pandemic, at 2% of those being hospitalised are healthcare personnel.

The study will conclude on 31st August 2021.

Issued by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)