Mediclinic in the Western Cape has decided to suspend elective surgeries in the province to ensure it has the capacity to keep up with the increase in COVID-19 hospitalisations.
The private hospital group has noted a dramatic
increase in COVID-19 admissions, with the number of patients rising from less
than 100 to more than 500.
The group urged the public to be cautious and
adjust its behaviour accordingly to manage the risk of contracting COVID-19, as
it has seen an increased number of patients flocking to its facilities during
the second wave.
In a statement, MediClinic said that the number
of patients seeking care from its hospitals in the province is clearly greater
than it was during the first wave of the disease.
The group added that the demand for its
intensive and high care units has reached its maximum capacity.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Government said
that as of Friday, there were 2 032 total Covid-19 patients in hospital, of
which 287 were in ICU/high care. ‘’However, the additional capacity made
available requires resources to directed away from other services, meaning less
capability for a particular health service to be rendered.’’ It said in a
statement.
‘’In addition, the 4 443 acute beds (excluding
Maternity, Paediatric, Neonatal, Psychiatry beds, Red Cross, Mowbray and the TB
hospitals) across the province are also taking strain with Metro hospitals
operating at 78% and Rural hospitals at 89%.’’
The Health Department warned that the pressure
on scarce health resources may result in possible delayed admission to hospital
or the possibility that certain service packages cannot be rendered.
‘’To assist the teams the Department has
initiated ethics committees to support the clinical decision making. Both
clinical decision making and access to certain care packages will, by
necessity, be different to those experienced in normal day-to-day services –
for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.’’
‘’These are unprecedented times globally and
require us to take unprecedented actions to support the most vulnerable
patients. Senior management fully supports clinicians in this very difficult
time as their decisions are guided by equity, fairness, dignity, and
engagement. To further support our teams and the demand for services, an
additional 829 dedicated COVID beds have been made available,’’ it added.
Done By: Mitchum George
No comments:
Post a Comment