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By Theolin Tembo 
9h ago
Cape Town – While the Western Cape is experiencing an increase in Covid-19 cases, some have questioned whether this means that the Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC) will be used as a field hospital.
During this week’s digital press conference to provide an update on the Covid-19 situation, it was revealed that with the increase in active cases across all districts, it represents a second wave established in the Western Cape.
The head of the Department of Health in the Western Cape, Dr. Keith Cloete, said that despite the second wave, the province has no need to bring back the CTICC field hospital.
The field hospital, located in the CBD, was decommissioned in September, and the Brackengate field hospital became the central Covid-19 “Hospital of Hope”.
Brackengate Field Hospital has a capacity of 338 beds and there are currently 253 patients admitted there.
Cloete said the CTICC and Brackengate field hospitals did not serve the entire province and were only used for the subway.
The Western Cape hospital capacity currently allows:
- 6,736 public sector acute beds (including 630 additional beds) and 381 public sector intensive care beds (including 135 additional beds).
- Potential for 180 additional beds at Metropolitan, depending on oxygen points and staff availability.
Cloete explained that the reason they do not need to bring the CTICC field hospital back is because they have regained the necessary capacity elsewhere.
The CTICC and Brackengate did not serve the entire province and were only in use for the metro, according to Cloete. The CTICC had 860 beds, yet at one point the province had used just under 400 beds for Covid-19 patients.
“When we put it online, we never ordered 860 beds at the CTICC, at best we ordered 400 beds because of staffing. As we reduced occupancy at the CTICC, we opened Brackengate as a field hospital. “
“Brackengate has 338 beds, so our strategy is… make Brackengate our field hospital. For Brackengate, we have extended the lease and contract so that we can use it for this purpose.
“What we had to do for Brackengate is find additional staff, members who can train it, so it can manage up to 338 beds.”
Cloete said there was a potential 180 additional beds that they could bring online, as dictated by oxygen points and staff availability, but would use it as legacy infrastructure thereafter.
“In rural areas of the province, our focus was to put additional beds in our own facilities, which will act as legacy projects and which will expand the capacity and improve the operation of our hospitals, in George, Hermanus, Worcester, Paarl and Vredendal beyond. Covid-19 and into the future, ”said Cloete. Approximately 300 acute beds and 135 ICU beds have been added to the province’s system.
Cape Argus
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