In line with the Gauteng Province Command Council’s (GPCC) plans to increase capacity in the province’s hospitals, Tembisa Hospital has converted a pre-existing section of hospital into a unit specially designed to accommodate Covid-19 patients.

Clean and dirty areas

According to Dr Relebohile Ncha, the newly renovated area has been divided into two sections.

“One space is a clean area where staff, who look after patients, can relax. The other section where patients are, is named the dirty area”.

In the clean area, minimal personal protective equipment (PPE) is required, while in the dirty area all protective gear is worn. In the unit is a space known as the donning and doffing area, which is where staff put on and take off PPE when they enter and exit the dirty area.

“We have a total of 12 beds available for low risk and high risk patients. And there is sufficient equipment and beds for patients. Management has been planning for anticipated surge of patients and other wards are currently being prepared for Covid-19 patients,” says Dr Ncha.

Safety measures in place

The hospital has also put in measures in place to prevent the virus from spreading within the hospital’s premises.

“Every patient that comes through is screened at the [hospital] entrance. They then go to the screening tent where their travel history is taken, and those who qualify to be swabbed are swabbed before being sent to various areas across the hospital,” says Ncha.

Other measures include the handing out of masks to patients who might have been exposed to Covid-19. There are also multiple points where patients, friends and family members can access hand sanitiser in the hospital.

At the time of writing, the Ekurhuleni District currently has 366, of the 1697 cases across the province. Ekurhuleni North, the subdistrict that Tembisa falls under, has 74 confirmed cases of Covid-19. — Health-e News