Committed to serving communities
The lockdown does, however, impact non-essential services and as a result, all in-hospital coffee and curio shops will be closed until the end of the lockdown.
Life Healthcare is committed to the well-being of patients, employees, doctors and visitors in the communities served.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day lockdown in South Africa to combat the spread of the novel Coronavirus Covid-19.
The lockdown will be effective until Midnight on April 16.
Life Healthcare has assured the community that all Life Healthcare hospitals will remain open and operational during this time.
As the situation continues to evolve, the group will liaise with government, doctors and employees to ensure that protocols and processes remain relevant for the needs of patients.
All patients needing urgent health care at Life Healthcare facilities will continue to receive quality care.
Where surgeries are still scheduled to take place, doctors will make responsible decisions, with fully informed consent on the part of the patient, as to the necessity for admission to hospital and the timing of surgery in light of the prevalence of Covid-19.
Patients are advised to contact their admitting doctors to confirm the necessity for admission to the hospital and the timing of surgery as a precautionary measure.
The lockdown does, however, impact non-essential services and as a result, all in-hospital coffee and curio shops will be closed until the end of the lockdown.
Life Healthcare is a responsible corporate citizen and as such aims to reduce the risk of infection of all patients, employees, doctors, and visitors to hospitals.
Hospitals will conduct general Covid-19 screening of all those entering the facility premises.
This includes the provision of hand sanitisers and a brief verbal travel history and wellness or health checks.
Visiting hours, and the number of visitors, have already been restricted to reduce the number of people accessing Life Healthcare facilities.
The level of these restrictions will be further increased with effect from March 27 and will be as follows:
• All visiting hours for general wards, ICU and High Care units will be suspended.
• Nursery and NICU will allow for one parent at a time to visit new-borns. The parent will be subject to strict screening criteria prior to hospital admission.
• Paediatric wards will only allow for one parent at a time to sleep-in with an admitted paediatric patient. The parent will be subject to strict screening criteria prior to hospital admission.
• Critically ill patients will be allowed visitors by exception, and only with the consent of the hospital manager. Visitors will be subject to strict screening criteria and will be expected to wear a mask for the duration of the visit.
Members of the public who are not sick, but are concerned that they may need Covid-19 testing should phone or consult with their general practitioner or contact the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on the following support numbers: NICD WhatsApp support line 0600 123 456 or the NICD 24-hour hotline on 0800 029 999 or 0800 111 132.
