Covid-kommer teenoor hospitaal
Edwin Saayman van die Eden United People's Party, skryf:
Na aanleiding van 'n vorige berig wat geplaas was op 23 Mei die volgende paar punte: In dié berig het ons die Covid-19gevalle by Life Bay View privaat hospitaal onder u aandag gebring. Dit blyk of daar geen of min aandag aan dié klagtes gegee is. Tot op hede het ons ook geen terugvoering van die hoof van die hospitaal gekry nie. Vir ons is hierdie geval baie ernstig omrede families en die gemeenskap direk daaronder kan ly. Die regulasies ten opsigte van die Covid-19-pandemie is duidelik voorgeskryf en ons moet daarby hou om verspreiding te voorkom. As enige persoon of instansie afwyk is dit teenstrydig met die Wet.
Daar is onlangs verder verneem dat daar nóg personeel positief getoets is vir Covid-19, maar die hospitaal is steeds oop vir pasiënte. Hoe lank gaan dit neem voor ander werkers aangesteek word en sodoende hul families aansteek en ook die breë gemeenskap?
Dit is vir ons totaal ontoelaatbaar dat instansies hulle nie by die regulasies hou nie. Hul stel hul werkers, families en breë gemeenskap in onmiddellike gevaar om met die virus geïnfekteer te word.
Verder sê ons dankie aan die instansies soos Food Lover's Market en Absa en wat hou by die regulasies. Ook aan die wat toegemaak was omrede hul nie voldoen het nie, en wel die nodige gedoen het om te kan voldoen. Dit wys ons dat hul omgee vir hul werkers en ook die breë gemeenskap.
Ons party wil die belange van alle mense op ons skouers dra en die stem wees vir die wat nie die vermoë het om te praat nie. Ons sal bly veg vir elkeen se reg om te leef in 'n omgewing waar hul vry en veillig voel en geen mens se regte geskend word nie.
Dr Charl van Loggerenberg, general manager: emergency medicine, Life Healthcare responds:
A patient who was admitted for a condition not related to Covid-19 was, in line with standard procedures, tested for Covid-19 prior to admission to the hospital. Following a negative test result, the patient was admitted to the hospital. Five days later, the patient presented with Covid-19 symptoms and tested positive for the virus.
Personal protection equipment for nonCovid-19 patients and healthcare workers were in use at all times, as per National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) guidelines.
Based on the time period it can be assumed that the infection was acquired before hospitalisation and not in the hospital, despite the test being negative at the time.
During the hospitalisation, some healthcare workers and patients were exposed to the patient. All exposures were traced and managed according to the NICD guidelines.
This required movement of patients between wards, closure of the ICU for disinfection and immediate quarantining of all high-risk exposure healthcare workers. Although some other patients and healthcare workers tested positive in our contact tracing, the source of infection cannot be ascribed to this particular patient, given the widespread community transmission in the Western Cape as well as the asymptomatic nature of the virus.
A number of set key safety measures are in place for the safety of all who enter the Life Healthcare hospitals and to limit the spread of infection, in accordance with best practice infection prevention standards. (List of safety measures excluded due to newspaper space constraints. See www. mosselbayadvertiser.com for list of measures.)
All Life Healthcare hospitals also have a Covid-19 Doctor Committee in place which collaborates with hospital management in making the necessary infection control and clinical decisions for the safety of our patients, for Covid-19 cases or those admitted for conditions unrelated to Covid-19.