Concern Over Lack Of Bed Capacity In SA

As the country battles a second wave of the coronavirus, private healthcare facilities say they’re buckling under the pressure.

Some are having to divert ambulances to other facilities, due to a shortage of beds.

At some hospitals in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, there are no more ventilators available – as they are all in use and there are fears of a similar situation looming for Gauteng.

Life Healthcare Group’s Dr Charl Van Loggerenberg said, “the hospitals are full. Make no mistakes, the ICU bed capacity is being challenged every day so we have this constant push to find treatment spaces for patients.”

The country has seen a spike in infections, with more than 100,000 cases recorded in just nine days.

Healthcare workers say they are not coping.

Mediclinic’s Gerrit De Villiers said, “we are recruiting from other provinces to come and help us temporarily. I think our main challenge as all hospital groups us that staff members can be recruited and sometimes they have exposure or get COVID infections themselves.”

As infections are expected to reach their peak early this year, private healthcare facilities fear the worst.