Life Healthcare Hospitals remain open for admissions and emergencies

Life Fourways Hospital would like to inform the public that, contrary to fake news and rumours on social media, no Life Healthcare Hospitals are closed and all are generally ready to admit Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients.

General manager of emergency medicine for Life Healthcare Group Dr Charl van Loggerenberg said, “The bed capacity situation across all our hospitals is fluid and is being reassessed frequently. Our hospital management teams remain in constant contact with one another, their doctors and other healthcare professionals to ensure that additional beds are made available should this be required.”

Given the increase in infection rate, Life Healthcare Hospitals anticipate that they will experience pressure with Covid-19 admissions. Dr van Loggereberg said, “It would not be correct to say that hospitals are full and cannot accept admissions. We want to assure the public that any individual with an emergency must go directly to their closest emergency room where they will be treated.”

He said determining capacity at hospitals is based on a number of factors and not only patient numbers.

“It is standard practice in all hospitals, outside of the Covid-19 crisis, to place certain areas of care under Temporary Capacity Divert (TCD).”

TCD is the process of advising the emergency medical services or ambulatory service of the best possible options for their patient. This is specific to when the severity of illness cannot be addressed at that immediate time, for example, if a specific specialist is not immediately available to attend to the emergency.

“TCD is related to patient needs, and not only patient or bed numbers. This does not mean there are no beds available at the hospital, but rather that the immediate care needed is not immediately available.”

Van Loggerenberg said that TCDs are constantly in flux and can change at any point within a 24-hour period. “We appeal to members of the public to act responsibly when using social media and social messaging platforms about hospital capacity.

“The best place to get up to date information is to follow your local Life Healthcare Hospital Facebook page, where official and important messages are posted in the interest of the hospital community and patients.”

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