Can you still visit your loved ones in local hospitals?

In this time of uncertainty, those with loved ones in hospital for whatever reason may not be sure if they can visit.

The Fourways Review reached out to the three main hospitals in the greater Fourways area: Life Fourways Hospital (on Cedar Road), the Netcare Sunninghill Hospital (on Witkoppen Road) and Life Riverfield Lodge (on Southernwoods Road, Nietgedacht area) to find out what visitation they are allowing at their facilities. A breakdown of the rules for each are listed below:

Life Fourways Hospital

Tanya Jenneker, the marketing manager for Life Fourways Hospital, explained that visiting hours as well as the number of visitors permitted had already been restricted before the official lockdown began. From the time the lockdown was officially implemented on 27 March, even more were introduced and are as follows:

•  All visiting hours for general wards, ICU and high care units will be suspended.
•  Nursery and NICU: One parent at a time will be allowed to visit newborns. The parent will be subject to strict screening criteria prior to hospital admission.
•  Paediatric wards: Only one parent at a time will be permitted to sleep in with an admitted paediatric patient. The parent will be subject to strict screening criteria prior to hospital admission.
•  Critically ill patients: Visitors will be allowed, 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.

Dr Charl van Loggerenberg, the general manager of emergency medicine for Life Healthcare, “We are in this together, and it is by working together that we will prevail.”

Netcare Sunninghill Hospital

From 25 March, visiting hours at all Netcare hospitals (including the one in Sunninghill) have been suspended, except in specific special circumstances, as a further precaution against the spread of Covid-19, Netcare announced.

Netcare CEO Dr Richard Friedland said, “In light of the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, we needed to take extraordinary measures to protect all healthcare teams and our patients who cannot be discharged.”

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All visiting hours for general wards, ICUs and the high care units will be suspended with immediate effect. There are, however, a few exceptions as follows:

•  Nurseries and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs): only one parent at a time is allowed to visit newborns in a nursery or NICU. This is on condition that the parent visiting has had no Covid-19 exposure and accepts that very strict infection prevention controls will be put in place to minimise the risks to their baby and other babies being cared for in these facilities. No grandparents and siblings will be allowed to visit.
•  Paediatrics: Only one parent at a time is permitted to live in with an admitted child. This parent is required to have had no Covid-19 exposure and accepts that very strict infection prevention controls will be put in place to minimise the risks to their child and other children being cared for in our paediatric facilities. No grandparents and siblings will be allowed to visit.
•  Gravely ill patients: An exception can be granted by the hospital general manager, as authorised by the regional director, in these instances a minimal number of visitors will be granted this exception and they will be required to wear a mask.

Life Riverfield Lodge

Before the lockdown was announced, this healthcare facility had already put in plan to combat the infection of their patients by limiting visiting hours to a single hour, and also limiting the number of visitors allowed to one at a time.

Glynis Krebser, the marketing and communications officer for the hospital, confirmed on 27 March that in light of the pandemic, all visitation had been suspended until further notice.

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