After the number of positive Covid-19 patients in the province doubled last week and private hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay had to take drastic measures to ensure that no patient gets turned away, a flicker of light recently emerged at the end of the tunnel.
The Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) officially opened their Covid-19 overflow medical facility at their vacant plant in Korsten last week.
After the completion of phase one, the opening of the Rev. Dr Elizabeth Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni field hospital, named after a local doctor who fought on the forefront against initiation deaths in the province, came just in time, as some hospitals have been battling to keep up with the influx of patients as the cases have been increasing rapidly.
Netcare Greenacres Hospital and Netcare Cuyler Hospital in Uitenhage recently resorted to drastic measures by suspending elective surgeries and non-urgent medical admissions, until further notice, to open up space for Covid-19 patients, except in cases where this could negatively impact on the clinical outcome of patients.
André Bothma, area general manager of Netcare’s hospital division in the province, said that the decision was made to free up ICU and high care beds which would otherwise have been used for patients after their elective surgery.
“All surgical cases that have been scheduled for the coming week will be reassessed in conjunction with the treating specialists to determine which surgeries can be safely postponed, based on clinical considerations, capacity considerations and patient consent.
“We will continue to provide medical care for patients with life-threatening injuries or conditions. The priority of emergency surgical cases proceeding will also be determined using the same criteria, in order to effectively manage our ICU and high care beds. The situation will be monitored closely,” Bothma explained.
The field hospital, funded by VWSA and the German government and managed by the Department of Health and the municipality, can now accommodate 1 485 patients, including high-acuity patients who require oxygenation.
Once the second and third phases are complete, the facility could accommodate more than 3 300 beds.
Managing director of VWSA, Thomas Schaefer, also announced that approximately R12 million of the German funding would be redirected to support the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) branch in Nelson Mandela Bay, with the goal of doubling the lab’s current daily average output of 1 500 tests to more than 3 000.
Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, who attended the opening ceremony of the field hospital, mentioned that another collaboration with VWSA might be in the works after they have discussed the manufacturing of an innovative new ventilator, one that would be non-invasive to patients.
Mkhize also said that the country was moving towards a devastating and decimating storm. “This can be seen with the numbers that are increasing. This could be the calm before the storm but we are riding into that storm now. The number of positive cases is going to increase and there will be more deaths,” he said.
“The flattening of the curve is not a one-off situation. It is a daily fight that should be fought by all South Africans,” he said.
To help fight the virus, he announced that another senior medical official would be sent to the Eastern Cape to take charge.
He added that 6 500 more professionals had been recruited into the state healthcare army. This included 6 100 nurses, 194 doctors and 206 paramedics. Retired healthcare workers have also been brought on board.
Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Lubabalo Mabuyane, said that the opening of the facility came at just the right time. “It comes at a time when there’s been a significant increase of positive cases. This metro is the epicentre; therefore the facility is also located at the right place.
“We are doing everything in our power to fight this virus. We’re working around the clock and having sleepless nights about this,” Mabuyane said.
He added that they have already appointed a CEO to ensure the optimal running of the facility. The hospital also has five doctors, 40 nurses and 80 community healthcare workers.
“We are overjoyed about this facility. It is a very responsible investment of VWSA. They have created another opportunity for us to save lives.”
Meanwhile, operations are still running smoothly at the NMB stadium that serves as a Covid-19 isolation site for non-symptomatic or very mild cases.
Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) spokesperson, Luvuyo Bangazi, said that there were currently 212 beds to occupy.
“The stadium is going well. We have 137 beds that are occupied at this moment but patients come and go daily so there is a high turnover of beds,” he added.
