New emergency unit ready to go in Overport

THE new and upgraded emergency department at Netcare Parklands Hospital was celebrated with a special breakfast on Tuesday, June 7, after a two-year process hampered by the Covid-19 lockdown. Situated on the ground floor next to the main entrance of the hospital, the new department offers urgent medical assistance to the community.

The hospital is soon to be accredited as a Level 3 Trauma Centre by the Trauma Society of South Africa (TSSA), and the upgrade coincides with requirements for this accreditation.

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General manager of the hospital Thea Janse Van Rensburg says the upgrade process began in 2019 when the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health (KZN DoH) approved plans to upgrade and relocate the hospital’s emergency department.

“The modern, new setting includes a triage bay, for initial assessment of walk-in patients, and a waiting area, four treatment bays and two resuscitation bays. A dedicated drop-off zone for ambulances provides quick access for emergency medical services, bringing in patients who require urgent priority treatment for more serious injuries,” said Janse Van Rensburg.

Dr Aresh Misra, director of the emergency department at Netcare Parklands Hospital, says they treat patients with a wide range of injuries and urgent health concerns, including life-threatening respiratory conditions: allergic reactions; heart attacks; seizures; high fevers in children and babies; and traumatic injuries like fractures, cuts and lacerations and work-related accidents.

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Mande Toubkin, general manager for the emergency, trauma, transplant and CSI unit at Netcare said they are required to report on the outcomes of the treatment provided for injuries. This data assists emergency medical services to take patients to the best-suited centre for any particular injury.

“As a number of international studies have shown, patients who are taken to the right trauma centre level – for their injuries, at the right time – have improved survival and outcomes, and this is reflected in the criteria TSSA apply,” said Toubkin.

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