KZN Health MEC hits back against ‘misleading’ hospital bed shortage claims
Simelane-Zulu spoke during an emergency media briefing on Wednesday to respond to fears of bed shortages in the province.
SAYING that there are no hospital beds in KwaZulu-Natal hospitals is “disingenuous”.
This is according to Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health.
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Simelane-Zulu spoke during an emergency media briefing on Wednesday to respond to fears of bed shortages in the province that are circulating on social media.
“We have had a number of misleading issues that have been in the media and social media about the capacity of the department and whether the health system is collapsing,” she said.
“These people who have been spreading these rumours have not only been disingenuous but they are creating a panic that we believe is not necessary at the moment. Yes we have a challenge but we don’t think our communities should be put in a (panic) state.”
The MEC said there are still 34 per cent of hospital beds, reserved for Covid-19 patients, that are still unoccupied.
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She said there are some districts that have relatively low hospital occupancy compared to eThekwini and Ugu districts that are “under pressure.”
In special cases, said the MEC, there might be intradistrict transfers of patients.
“We are confident that bed occupancy will become more stable, thanks to the reintroduction of (adjusted) Level 3 regulations,” she said.
Overall there are 3477 Covid-19 beds for ICU and Persons Under Investigation – (1289 occupied, 66 per cent occupancy rate).
The MEC also added that there are still spaces available in Pinetown and Phoenix mortuaries as they still operating below capacity.
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Simelane-Zulu urged people to not wait until their symptoms are severe before going to the hospital.
As of 29 December the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases in KZN is 188 782 (72 per cent recovery rate) with 4278 Covid-19 related deaths.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
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