Private hospitals beef up for the third wave

HEALTH facilities in Gauteng are increasing capacity as the number of confirmed Covid-19 hospital admissions continue to soar.

Mediclinic, Netcare and Life Healthcare this week said some of their facilities were under pressure as the third wave of the pandemic intensified.

Managing director of Netcare’s hospital division Jacques du Plessis said that the group added extra resources to assist with the anticipated increase of Covid-19 admissions.

He said last week non-urgent surgeries requiring post-operative critical care were suspended to free up capacity where needed.

“We will never turn away patients in need of emergency care, and given the experience of the first and second waves, we are well equipped to ensure we are able to maximise our ability to provide the necessary care.

“We encourage the public to seek healthcare from their general practitioners early on when they start feeling unwell, especially if they experience difficulty breathing.

“When people delay seeking medical attention until their condition is serious, unfortunately there is a greater risk of less favourable outcomes.

“At times, however, patients seeking care at our hospitals’ emergency departments, regrettably, have been required to wait if there is a sudden influx of patients.

“As part of our disaster management planning, we have commissioned temporary clinical decision units at certain hospitals in the province, to accommodate additional patients.”