Newly established KwaDukuza Covid-19 field hospital opens its doors

The department of public works handed the newly established KwaDukuza field hospital to the province’s health department last Thursday to bolster the region’s Covid-19 response.

The 112-bed field hospital was built in 7 weeks by Extreme Events and complies fully to international isolation ward standards.

It will provide Covid-19 care to patients in the KwaDukuza district and surrounds.

The hospital will support isolation and medical care for milder Covid-19 cases rather than fully replicate a permanent hospital’s intensive care unit.

Linked to the existing General Justice Gizenga Mpanza Regional Hospital (Stanger Hospital), it will also make use of the district hospital’s existing support systems. 

KwaZulu-Natal department of public works spokesperson, Mbulelo Baloyi said with the province expecting to reach its virus peak this month, the hospital was prepared to accommodate a deluge of patients.

“This field hospital will increase local healthcare capacity and creates the opportunity to relieve the pressure from one specific facility,” he said.

The project cost R25 million to build and was a partnership between government and the private sector.

According to the KZN department of health the field hospital will also serve as a quarantine centre so that existing hospitals can focus on seriously ill patients.

Consultant mechanical engineer for the project, Alan Milne, said the field hospital was equipped with a specialised ventilation and air filtration system to ensure a negative air pressure in compliance with international standards.

Ventilation is an important aspect for the design of medical facilities, embraced to prevent the spread of airborne disease.

“While Covid-19 is almost certainly droplet-transmittable and potentially airborne, creating physical air barriers and negative pressure containment zones is paramount for controlling pathogens and reducing any health-care-acquired disease,” he said. 

According to the latest figures, as of September 1, released by the Health Department, South Africa has a total of 627 041 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

The recovery rate remains at 86%, well above the global average of 66% with just under 72 000 active cases countrywide.

KZN’s death toll is 2 138 with 14 296 active cases. Ilembe district has the fourth highest cases in the province with 5 942 confirmed cases and 57 deaths.

eThekwini remains the district with the highest number of confirmed cases at 53 287 and 1 049 deaths.