Covid-19 surge: Treatment of outpatients on hold at Leratong Hospital
Some services will still be available.
Leratong Hospital in Kagiso, South Africa. Photo: Gallo Images/Sowetan/Kabelo Mokoena
Due to the surge in Covid-19 cases, the Leratong Hospital in Kagiso suspended outpatients and elective procedures with effect from Monday, 28 June.
Suspension of services
Leratong Hospital CEO, Dr DP Moloi, on Friday said urgent cases will be prioritised, and discretion will be used for patients collecting their results.
“Following the President’s announcement to extend the national lockdown and the high number of confirmed Covid-19 patients treated at the hospital, Management decided to implement [the] temporary suspension”, Moloi explained.
The temporary suspension would not hinder Covid-19 patients from receiving treatment. Moloi says Covid-19 screening “will be done for everyone accessing [the] premises”.
“Depending on the outcome of the screening, patients will be directed according”, Moloi adds.
Services at Leratong Hospital
Apart from Covid-19 screening, all emergency patients will still receive treatment. The Wound clinic will remain operational as well.
In addition, all orthopaedic, surgical and medical outpatients who are booked to collect medicine will be assisted, and mother-and-children services would still be available.
Dr Moloi calls on the community to be “cooperative and work with the hospital management during this trying period by adhering to measures to minimise the spread of Covid-19”.
Flooding in January
Services were suspended at Leratong Hospital back in January as a result of heavy rainfall and floods – frontline areas, the emergency casualty area and X-ray departments were all affected.
The situation in the casualty, frontline and X-ray departments was resolved the following day, and the hospital was later reopened after municipality officials were dispatched to assist with cleanup.
Dr Molo at the time confirmed no patients were injured, however, some patient records were destroyed.
In 2020, the hospital made headlines when the Covid-19 pandemic exposed how secrecy and poor planning placed healthcare professionals and patients at risk.
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