Gauteng health department signs deal with private hospitals over Covid-19 bed capacity
Should need for beds to accommodate Covid-19 patients arise the private health facilities will be open for people under public sector care, says the department.
The Gauteng department of health sealed an agreement with private health care facilities to accommodate Covid-19 patients from the public sector, should the need arise.
On Saturday, in a statement, the department said this move was made despite a significant drop in hospitalised people for Covid-19 in the province.
“The department has signed a memoranda of understanding (MOU) with private hospital groups, which will regulate per diem fees per level of care,” department spokesperson Kwara Kekana said.
“This means that the private hospitals will charge the department a standard fee per day per patient at the agreed rate for the level of care.”
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Kekana, however, said current public-sector beds would be adequate based on models projection of beds needs.
“The overall strategy is to increase internal bed capacity and to utilise private sector beds when needed.”
The biggest opposition party in the province, DA welcomed this move by the department.
DA health shadow minister Jack Bloom said the move was “a far more sensible strategy than plans for new field hospitals at Tshwane Expo Centre, Chloorkop and Rand hospital with a budgeted cost of more than R600-million that are unlikely to be needed by the time they are built.
“It is clear that the department relied on discredited models that forecast a later peak for the pandemic requiring a vast number of beds in August and September for too long,” he said.
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