Netcare to spend R150-million on Covid-19 preparedness

Netcare announced this week it would invest R150-million to enhance the Covid-19 readiness of its ICU and high care facilities.

This would involve purchasing additional ventilators, ultraviolet disinfection robots and specialised air filters to ensure appropriate disinfection, it said on Monday.

The amount will also be used to supplement the private hospital group’s stocks of personal protective equipment for its staff.

The group also introduced new measures for training employees and screen patients before they enter their facilities.

Potentially positive patients would be isolated to to contain the spread of Covid-19.

“Netcare is committed to working with government and all other stakeholders in containing and treating the pandemic,” the private hospital group said.

“South Africa now, more than ever depends on all healthcare workers and doctors.”

It said this led the group to commit to government to treat public patients at its facilities on a not-for-profit cost recovery basis.

“Given our limited capacity, any referrals from the public sector will be assessed and pre-authorised by Netcare on a case-by-case basis.”

“To fully prepare for Covid-19, Netcare is engaging on a regular, ongoing basis with healthcare colleagues across the globe, particularly in China, Italy and France to ensure that the painful but valuable lessons learned elsewhere are fully implemented in South Africa,” said Netcare chief executive officer Richard Friedland.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has to date infected over 720 000 people globally, resulting in more than 34 000 deaths.

“With more than two billion people around the world in some form of lockdown or self-isolation, these are unprecedented times,” said

He cautioned that the situation in South Africa remained extremely concerning.

“This is attributable to the extremely high levels of population density in certain geographical areas.

“As the country enters the winter season, in which approximately 19 percent of South Africans contract influenza, the situation may well worsen,” Friedland said.

He said based on Netcare’s actuarial forecast models, the already constrained health system would struggle to cope with the looming, and significantly higher increase in the number of patients requiring hospitalisation and ICU care.

Friedland said Netcare fully supported of the 21-day lockdown to “flatten the curve” and lower the communal spread of Covid-19.

#Covid19SA Testing at Unitas Hospital Centurion @Netcare911_sa pic.twitter.com/D0VjCvmCEZ

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) March 30, 2020

Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news. 

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).