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The Eastern Cape government received a huge boost in its effort to combat the Covid-19 pandemic after the German government and Volkswagen (VW) pledged R107 million for the construction of a field hospital at an unused plant in Port Elizabeth .
The installation of 4,000 beds will be possible after Volkswagen SA (VWSA) agreed to convert its 66,000 m² Korsten plant into a temporary field hospital.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development donated 5.2 million euros, while VW promised R28 million.
The initiative was announced Tuesday by VWSA President and CEO Thomas Scheifer and Eastern Cape Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane.
Operations at the hospital will be administered by the Eastern Cape Health Department in collaboration with the Municipality of Nelson Mandela Bay.
Overflow Medical Center
The plant in Neave, Korsten, which is not currently in use, would be converted and used as an overflow medical center, VW spokesman Andile Dlamini said.
He added that the facility will be completed in phases and will be turned over to the government as the need for medical attention develops in the subway.
Preparation for the first phase is currently underway and will take approximately six to eight weeks to complete.
This process would equip medical facilities to accommodate up to 1,484 patients, Dlamini said.
The temporary plant will be available to the government until March 2021.
He added that the initiative aimed to help local and provincial government provide the much-needed care for Covid-19 patients in Nelson Mandela Bay.
High acuity patients
“Once fully operational, the facility could accommodate up to 4,000 beds for patients diagnosed with Covid-19. This would also include high-acuity patients requiring oxygenation.”
Dlamini said the planned conversion of the building was the result of collaboration between VWSA, the Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber of Commerce, the municipality and the department.
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Funding will support the conversion of the plant, as well as the acquisition of personal protective equipment for staff at regional tertiary hospitals, regional primary care clinics and 49 Covid-19 test centers.
Dlamini added that Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusamenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH would provide the performance framework to account for public and private participation.
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He added that he would foster cooperation with the private sector to establish a sustainable strategic alliance in Nelson Mandela Bay.
VW has also been working on the manufacture of fans, respirators, and masks in association with other local companies, and has provided ongoing support to the chamber of business and the municipality.
“Solidarity is crucial in a crisis, and Covid-19 is an unprecedented global threat,” said Thomas Schaefer, president and CEO of VWSA.
Force position
“Through collaboration, we will be able to achieve the position of strength we will need to fight Covid-19.”
German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dr. Gerd Müller said: “We will either beat Covid-19 worldwide together or we will not at all. That is why I support Volkswagen South Africa’s plan to convert a factory currently not used in a Covid facility -19 patients. “
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He added that the contribution was part of the German government’s Covid-19 global emergency support program that aimed to help with health infrastructure and other issues.
This will ease the burden on the current 1,000-bed field hospital at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where Covid-19 patients are currently in quarantine.
The role of the chamber of business had been to help facilitate the project and garner more support from its member base, Dlamini said.
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With 814 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of Monday night in the province, Mabuyane said the 4,000-bed temporary hospital would provide us with “the space and ammunition necessary to fight this deadly virus.”
“The war in which we are against the invisible enemy # Covid19 has reminded me of the words of Sun Tzu, a Chinese general, military strategist and writer, who wrote in the book entitled Art of War, that sometimes during a war you need to get closer, form alliances and make sure that no part of the army is isolated. “
Mabuyane added: “The worst is yet to come, we expect an increase in the number of positive cases because we are evaluating and evaluating people on a daily basis. This launch of this field hospital is significant, not only for Nelson Mandela Bay, but for everything the Eastern Cape. “
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