Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal health system will be unable to cope if more private hospitals shut down because of Covid-19, according to health advocates after another closed its doors this week after recording positive cases.
Netcare Kingsway Hospital in eManzimtoti closed, transferred and directed patients to public hospitals after a patient tested positive for Covid-19 in order to contain the spread of the virus, and trace all possible contacts.
A few weeks ago, Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital suffered the same fate after at least five patients died from Covid-19 related complications and 66 health-care workers and patients tested positive for the virus.
A regular outpatient at Kingsway said she had to make alternative arrangements to get her medication from the hospital after it closed.
The patient, 49, suffers from diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, heart problems and abdominal tuberculosis.
“I did call the hospital and the receptionist informed me that they will not be taking in new patients and when I asked about collecting medication from the pharmacy she told me to go to a GP. I then told her I have abdominal TB and GPs do not carry this medication. She then told me to go fetch it from a state hospital,” she said.
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa provincial secretary Mandla Shabangu said the patients who were diverted from Kingsway Hospital would go to public hospitals, but questioned whether public hospitals had the capacity to deal with the influx of patients.
“Looking at the circumstances, the Department of Health has not employed any new employees. Who is going to nurse these patients who are now diverted from the private sector? It’s a question that should be answered by the leadership of the government in the province because we need their intervention on this one,” said Shabangu.
Dr Zanele Bikitsha, SA Medical Association provincial chairperson, said the province’s health system would not be able to cope if private patients had to be treated and served in the public sector.
“We are struggling to cope with the numbers we do have. We do know that there is a staffing shortage within the public sector,” said Bikitsha, adding the private sector had an important role in delivering health in KZN.
The health department had not responded to questions at the time
of publication.