South Africa's health system has a longstanding problem: a severe shortage of medical staff. The World Bank estimates that South Africa has only 0.9 medical doctors for every 1,000 people compared with the global average of 1.6. The country has only about 1.3 nurses and midwives for every 1,000 people, compared to the global average of 3.8.
COVID-19 is rapidly adding to this problem. The International Council of Nurses estimates that about 230,000 - or 7% - of all COVID-19 cases worldwide are among healthcare workers.
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