Mediclinic Highveld have many patietns in ICU
"As a result of this increase demand for care, where necessary Mediclinic Highveld will arrange for the safe transfer of patients to other, appropriate facilities to ensure the continued availability of care according to the intensity of treatment required."
TRICHARDT – Mediclinic Highveld is experiencing high volumes of patients in its intensive care units with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Stefan Smuts, Chief Clinical Officer of Mediclinic Southern Africa, said Mediclinic Highveld is aware of concerns regarding current community infections and recognises that this is a challenging period for healthcare providers.
He said as a result of this, hospitals might be unable to accommodate more patients because of a lack of additional resources in these units.
“While we can confirm that Mediclinic Highveld is currently operating at full capacity, with an increased demand for intensive care and high care beds, it is important to note that this situation remains fluid and is continuously being monitored across all bed types and across all hospitals in the region to ensure the optimal use of available resources and continuity of patient care,” said Dr Smuts.
“As a result of this increase demand for care, where necessary Mediclinic Highveld will arrange for the safe transfer of patients to other, appropriate facilities to ensure the continued availability of care according to the intensity of treatment required.
“These decisions are made by the attending doctors based on the condition of the patient and the level of care required. We would also like to reassure the community that our emergency centre remains open to stabilise any patient in an extreme emergency, irrespective of age or comorbidities, and regardless of the hospital divert status.
“Once the patient’s condition is stable, the individual will then be referred to the closest most appropriate facility if required.”
Dr Smuts assured the community that Mediclinic Highveld is ready to safely receive patients in a medical emergency.
“We therefore encourage our community to seek medical care, if they are ill or in pain. We continue to urge the public to take the necessary precautions by practicing good hand hygiene, social distancing as well as adhering to lockdown requirements. We also encourage anyone experiencing signs and symptoms of the disease, such as shortness of breath, fever, sore throat, coughing or who believe that that they may have been exposed to the virus to contact their healthcare provider.”
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