JOHANNESBURG - The fire at Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospital has been extinguished according to City of Joburg EMS.
The Johannesburg emergency services said that a fire investigations team will determine the origin, cause and circumstances surrounding the fire.
The fire at the hospital broke out on Friday morning at the hospital’s special dispensary stores.
Premier of Gauteng, David Makhuru announced that the hospital in Johannesburg will be temporarily shut down for seven days to assess the situation. Services at the hospital have been suspended and no patients will be allowed into the hospital.
Makhuru and senior provincial government officials met with the hospital management and emergency services officials today.
He announced the shutdown of the hospital because of the smoke that had funnelled through hospital.
The Gauteng premier said that Gauteng not afford to have Charlotte Maxeke hospital for too long as it was one of the pre-eminent hospitals in the province
Over 400 of the hospital’s patients have been evacuated while another 270 patients will also be evacuated.
13 of the patients who were transferred were positive for Covid-19 with two patients in the ICU.
The patients have been transferred to hospitals.
A call centre has been set up for families of the patients to contact as well inform families of where their loved ones have been transferred to.
IOL