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“We have a very clear and objective assessment triage tool in the ICU where we use certain criteria to assess a patient’s condition and whether that patient would benefit from being admitted to intensive care. This objective evaluation allows physicians to determine the best possible outcome for a patient, “said van der Heever.
“There are several criteria that we look at, age is one of them, but also comorbidities and the patient’s condition. These, as a collective, will have an impact on the assessment and therefore on the outcome of the intensive care patient.
“Both clinical decision-making and access to certain care packages will, by necessity, be different from those experienced in normal daily services, for both Covid-19 patients and non-Covid-19 patients.”
Van der Heever said that public hospitals in the Western Cape are under stress. Metropolitan hospitals work at 78% and rural hospitals at 89%.
Some of the services that will be restricted and postponed include hospital visits, non-urgent outpatient appointments, elective surgery, outreach to regional and district hospitals.
“Patients who are in hospital but who are stable will be discharged for further treatment at home or in a care facility. Patients are urged to only access emergency centers for emergencies, and non-emergencies should access health care services at the nearest clinics, “said van der Heever.
Continuing emergencies include obstetric surgery, medical emergencies, fracture clinics, and eye surgery, which will be available on a limited basis.
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