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Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria.
- Since December 20, Steve Biko Academic Hospital has seen a sharp increase in cases.
- Patients come from private hospitals and other provinces to seek treatment.
- Images shared on social media showed patients being treated in tents in a roofed structure at the entrance to the hospital’s Emergency Unit.
The Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria has seen a sharp increase in Covid-19 patients, some of whom come to the hospital from private hospitals and other provinces due to lack of space.
In a statement Sunday, the Gauteng health department said the hospital, which is a specialized center, was under great pressure.
The department released the statement after a series of images, shared on social media, showing patients being treated in tents in a roofed structure at the entrance to the hospital’s Emergency Unit.
“The largest number of patients are sicker and require critical care, some arrive in groups and put great pressure on the facility. Some of the patients received by the hospital come from private facilities due to lack of space, while others are self-referrals from other provinces, such as Northwest, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, ”the department said.
Last year, in an effort to increase beds, the department converted Tshwane District Hospital (TDH) into a strictly Covid-19 treatment facility, in partnership with Steve Biko, meaning the two hospitals are now a just complex.
“The complex is currently under pressure, especially with regard to patients who require immediate specialized care and, therefore, can only be treated in certain hospitals, which are also overwhelmed,” said the department.
The department also said the province’s public and private hospitals were working on an ambulance diversion system.
Steve Biko, however, resolved that ambulances would not be diverted to other facilities and no patients would be turned away as long as beds were available.
“With patients who do not have Covid-19, that service is used, but for patients with Covid-19 all hospitals are flooded. Patients with Covid-19 require immediate attention,” the department said.
Two additional tents are expected to be set up at the hospital to accommodate this increase in patient numbers.
