IN QUOTES | Parts of Charlotte Maxeke to reopen to accommodate Covid-19 patients: David Makhura
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Sections of Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg academic hospital will be reopened to accommodate Covid-19 patients as the fourth wave arrives, Gauteng premier David Makhura said on Thursday.
The hospital suffered extensive fire damage earlier this year, recently compounded by flood damage resulting in patients being moved out of the trauma ICU.
TimesLIVE reported electricity was at risk in the main ICU where Covid-19 patients are treated.
Makhura said engineers had now advised that parts of the hospital could be used. This would relieve pressure on neighbouring hospitals.
Here are six quotes from his address at a media briefing:
The numbers are going up
“The spike doesn't suggest we have reached a peak. The likelihood is that these numbers will keep shooting up. Our province has been contributing over 60% of all new cases. There are days when we've contributed over 67% of cases.”
Managing hospital admissions
“Clinicians decide which surgeries they can afford to do later as part of managing hospital admissions. We have been activating additional beds we have elsewhere, particularly in the first and second wave.”
Retaining healthcare workers
“In addition to the money we allocated to the health department, R1.5bn, we have decided to retain 5,000 healthcare workers brought in for Covid-19. We still need more staff, the healthcare workers are under pressure. We have said to the [national] health department, 'as we get more beds, we need to get more staff'.”
Don't be complacent
“The pandemic is everywhere. Please stay safe. Don't think 'we went through the first and second wave and I didn't get sick'. Yes, there are many people who didn't get it. This is severe. There are many people who are still vulnerable.”
Long Covid-19
“There are people still struggling with the impact of Covid-19 they got in the first wave. Our health system does not focus on those. We focus on those who are immediately infected and need hospital admission. There are a number of people really struggling. The system needs to deal with long-term effects.”
Reopening Charlotte Maxeke hospital
“Engineers said it's only block 4 as a whole that was structurally damaged and only a part of block 3 and parts of block 5. But blocks 1 and 2 are completely unaffected and these are usable. We came to the conclusion that those parts of the hospital that the engineers said are structurally OK [should reopen]."