St Augustines erects temporary dialysis unit

NETCARE St. Augustine hospital has clarified that the construction of a structure in its car park will serve as a temporary renal unit for dialysis patients.

Residents living near the hospital raised concerns when they noticed the structure being erected near the gate entrance of the emergency trauma unit on Cato Road. Robert Souter, chief executive officer of National Renal Care, said the separate additional renal dialysis facility was being erected just in case they experienced a significant increase in demand from patients requiring treatment.

ALSO READ: Investigation report reveals single source of infection caused St Augustine virus outbreak

“We have been providing assisted home haemodialysis for Covid-19 positive patients, however the completion of this temporary facility will provide necessary capacity for patients to undergo their dialysis separately in an isolated, dedicated Covid-19 dialysis unit,” he said.

The hospital was temporarily closed last month following an outbreak that left 47 of its staff and 15 patients with the Coronavirus.

“To further limit the possible risk of exposure, (the) NRC has also established separate areas to provide dialysis sessions for patients according to their potential Covid-19 risk. As such, persons under investigation (PUIs) for Covid-19 receive dialysis in a ‘yellow’ zone, separate from Covid-19 negative patients who have their dialysis sessions in a ‘green’ zone,” said Souter.

Dear reader,

As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.

Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).

Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.