“Although we are under pressure, we are still coping with the patients being admitted. At this stage we have enough beds, ventilators and staff to cope with the influx of patients, but a continuous supply of oxygen and ventilators is a concern.”
AS COVID-19 admissions increase at health facilities across the country, MediClinic in Kimberley has echoed the concern about the staggering surge in infections.
The spokesperson for MediClinic Kimberley/Gariep, Denise Coetzee, said on Tuesday that its facility in the city is equipped with the required medical resources to assist Covid-19 patients, while also noting that there has been a drastic increase in admissions over the past two weeks.
“There is a big increase in Covid cases being admitted to the hospital. In the past two weeks the hospital has seen an increase of 400% in such patients,” said Coetzee.
“Although we are under pressure, we are still coping with the patients being admitted. At this stage we have enough beds, ventilators and staff to cope with the influx of patients, but a continuous supply of oxygen and ventilators is a concern.
“We are in the process of implementing the necessary measures to manage increased demand for oxygen, should the number of Covid patients continue to rise.
“The hospital is using more than 1.2 tons of oxygen per day to supply the demand.”
Coetzee added that they have measures in place should the facility require additional staff.
“The number of Covid patients changes all the time as patients are admitted and discharged. We do have Covid patients in the high care unit, as well as in the ICU. It has not been necessary so far to make use of any volunteers, but we do have a list of volunteers to call upon, should the need arise. This list comprises clinical, administration and supportive functions people,” she said.
Coetzee urged city residents to adhere to the Covid-19 regulations in order not to become “part of the statistics”.
“We continue to urge the public to take the necessary precautions by practising good hand hygiene and social distancing, as well as adhering to lockdown requirements.
“We also encourage anyone experiencing signs and symptoms of the disease, such as shortness of breath, fever, sore throat and coughing, or who believe that they may have been exposed to the virus, to contact their health care provider,” Coetzee said.
