CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape government has activated the first intermediate care Covid-19 wards at the Lentegeur Hospital in Mitchells Plain.
In a statement released by Premier Alan Winde’s office, it said the facility has been designed to operate the 200 beds as a field hospital.
Sixty-four patients have already been admitted to the facility.
The statement said the wards have been repurposed for Covid-19 care for the second wave and additional beds and infrastructure have been added.
The facility is named the Mitchells Plain Hospital of Hope and will be managed by Fatima Peters.
The facility will have four wards, of which 200 beds will be made available. The first two wards with 100 beds have 91 beds with normal oxygen access and nine with high-flow nasal oxygen access. They were completed by January 1.
“These 100 beds have been activated incrementally over the past few days, and all 100 will be activated by tomorrow (Tuesday),” the statement read.
The facility’s third ward is expected to open next week and will bring the bed count to 150. The fourth ward is expected to open in the week thereafter.
The provincial government said it has decided to focus on its response to the second Covid-19 wave by using its existing facilities, which will ensure maximum use of facilities, equipment and staff on site while also remaining closer to communities.
It said this will see the facility benefiting in the long term from additional investments, such as the fitting of oxygen facilities.
“The Western Cape government’s resurgence plan focuses on bringing online intermediate care capacity, in an incremental fashion, in line with our needs, as well as the availability of beds, oxygen points, staffing and oxygen supply.
“We are focused on bringing this capacity online systematically, while still ensuring that we are able to balance all of these factors,” it said.
It said systems have been developed to track the number of available beds, oxygen and staff.
Additional staff members are being recruited and there is the potential to access additional beds for facilities across the province should it be required, as well as have staff available.
The provincial government is urging all members of the public to stay safe and adhere to all Covid-19 regulations while continuing to wear a mask, maintain a physical distance and sanitise or wash hands, as this will relieve the pressure on its health-care system.
ANA