Life Healthcare Group slams fake news: We’ll serve come Covid-19 hell or emergency high water

Life Robinson Private Hospital will remain open and continue to serve, come Covid-19 hell or emergency high water. This applies to all other Life Healthcare Hospitals as well.

In a statement issued by the Life Healthcare Group this week, it was emphasised that no Life Healthcare Hospitals were closed and all are generally ready and able to admit Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 related patients – contrary to fake news and rumours on social media.

Dr Charl van Loggerenberg, General Manager: Emergency Medicine for the Life Healthcare Group said, “The bed capacity situation across all of our hospitals is fluid and is being reassessed frequently. Our hospital management teams remain in constant contact with one another, their doctors and other healthcare professionals to ensure that additional beds are made available should this be required.”

Dr Van Loggerenberg added that given the increase in infection rate, it is anticipated that the hospitals will experience pressure with Covid-19 admissions.

He said all Life Healthcare hospitals have a Doctor Covid Committee that works closely with hospital management in the daily and ongoing clinical decisions affecting patients, staff and doctors to ensure that the situation is managed optimally. There are daily operational briefings and live data to keep all the management teams apprised of facility status. Life Healthcare hospitals across the country are collaborating to ensure best practice and shared learnings.

It would not be correct to say that hospitals are full and cannot accept admissions.

“We want to assure the public that any individual with an emergency must go directly to their closest emergency room where they will be treated. It is important for us to explain that determining capacity at hospitals is based on several factors, not only patient numbers. It is standard practice in all government and private hospitals, outside of the Covid-19 crisis, to place certain areas of care under Temporary Capacity Divert (TCD).”

TCD, he explained, is the process of advising Emergency Medical Services (EMS) or ambulatory service of the best possible options for their patient. This is specific to when the level of acuity (severity of an illness) of a patient cannot be met at that immediate time, for example when a specific specialist is not immediately available to attend to the medical emergency.

TCD relates to patient needs, and not only patient or bed numbers. This does not mean that there are no beds available at the hospital, but rather that the immediate care needed is not immediately available.

“The same applies with the current Covid-19 situation,” added Dr Van Loggerenberg.

He explained that should an EMS vehicle, for example, need to bring a patient with a brain injury to a hospital and the neurosurgeon on call is not available for immediate care, then all ‘neurosurgery’ medical emergency cases would be put on TCD and taken to the next nearest facility until such time that the surgeon has capacity. This does not necessarily mean that there are no beds available at the hospital, but rather that the high priority and best care needed is not immediately available.

It is also important to note that TCDs are constantly in flux and can change at any point within a 24-hour period.

We appeal to members of the public to act responsibly when using social media and social messaging platforms about hospital capacity.

“The best place to get up to date information is to follow your local Life Healthcare hospital’s Facebook page, where official and important messages are posted in the interest of the hospital community and patients,” concluded Dr Van Loggerenberg.

*Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader,
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