We're planning for possible return of training - Kaizer Chiefs doctor Ramjee

Kaizer Chiefs team doctor Hashendra Ramjee has revealed how they are preparing for the possible return of football in the country.

Amakhosi and fellow PSL clubs are waiting for official communication regarding if the current season can resume, having been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March.

The South African Football Association (Safa) and PSL have set up a joint task-team to devise a way for the top-flight league and National First Division (NFD) to resume as soon as the government gives them the go-ahead, with the country currently in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“As a General Practitioner, my work includes working closely with other doctors in the mental health field and providing support during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Dr Ramjee told Chiefs' official website.

“Our other Kaizer Chiefs doctors are also much more involved in the medical ‘frontline’ work.”

Ramjee explained that they are in regular contact with Amakhosi players, technical staff and management through various platforms during the lockdown.

“The players and technical staff all provide us with daily feedback regarding symptom screening via WhatsApp. We connect individually via telephone if there are any individual aspects that we need to manage,” he continued.

“We have also been monitoring our players’ psychological well-being during this challenging time. We join the weekly technical team online meetings.

"And as earlier mentioned, we connect with players daily via WhatsApp. One of the things that we do regularly is speaking to the players regarding medical care, when needed.

“The medical team [including physios], sports science department, technical team and club management have been planning for various training scenarios for when we are permitted back to train at the Chiefs Village, including plans for post-lockdown.

"We have also been involved in advising the club regarding policies and protocols for everyone in the organisation.”

The Amakhosi medical team is also keeping in touch with the developments abroad, after the Bundesliga resumed earlier this month.

“We have been closely monitoring the international football ‘landscape’ with regards to policies and plans that are being proposed and implemented insofar as the pandemic is concerned,”  Ramjee added.

The English Premier League clubs have resumed training and the competition is set to resume on June 17, but Ramjee explained that it will be difficult to battle with Covid-19 during the winter season in South Africa.

“Regarding the European leagues, there the situation is different to ours in SA. They have potentially passed their peaks of infections and their rates of local transmission of Covid-19 is reducing. They are also going into their summer months and thus moving out of their flu season," he explained.

Nevertheless, Ramjee stressed the need for adequate resources in order to win the battle against the pandemic:

“It is important to note that the European leagues have much more resources and testing capacity compared to South Africa," he continued.

"The initial lockdown levels have served their purpose to ‘flatten the curve’ and to prepare our medical system. However, as lockdown levels are reduced further, the Covid-19 infection rates are expected to increase."