Covid-19 field hospital set to open in Polokwane
Netcare has commissioned a temporary Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) that will be setup as a field hospital in light of the surge in Covid-19 hospital admissions in the city and province
POLOKWANE – Healthcare resources in Limpopo are under strain due to a sharp rise in Covid-19 hospital admissions and Netcare Chief executive officer, Dr Richard Friedland says the temporary Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) will create additional capacity for emergency patients at Netcare Pholoso Hospital.
According to statement issued by MNA on behalf of Netcare Pholoso Hospital, the field hospital can accommodate up to 80 additional beds, and is expected to be ready to receive patients from Thursday, 7 January.
“No healthcare system in the world is designed for so many people requiring hospitalisation at the same time, as has been experienced during this global pandemic. In many parts of our country, the second wave of Covid-19 is already considerably worse than the initial wave and this is reflected in hospital admission rates,” says Friedland. He adds that even before Covid-19 reached South Africa, Netcare’s highly-experienced disaster management team started working on plans to maximise healthcare capacity in preparation for the expected surge.
“However, in the last week the number of people requiring hospitalisation escalated in the communities which is being served by Netcare Pholoso Hospital, therefore Netcare is making additional technical and disaster management resources available to establish a field hospital, which can accommodate up to 80 additional beds.”
Friedland says this CDU will provide additional capacity for emergency patients until they can be transferred to a suitable unit with an available bed, either within Netcare Pholoso Hospital or at another facility.
“The aim is to make the most efficient use of available resources to help the greatest possible number of people in these extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances.”
The field hospital has been sanctioned by the Limpopo Department of Health [DoH], and is fully compliant with the requirements for a facility of this type, read the statement. “Drawing on experience in setting up and operating field hospitals in response to international disasters and for major events, such as the Comrades Marathon every year for the past two decades, Netcare is working to rapidly establish a temporary facility as an extension to the emergency department at Netcare Pholoso Hospital,” Friedland adds.
Friedland reiterates the seriousness of the Covid-19 situation within the country, as reflected in the need for Netcare to set up field hospitals such as this. “Every person has an individual and collective responsibility to help prevent the spread of the virus, which has already taken an enormous human toll, in order to reduce pressure on the healthcare system,” he concludes.
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