Closing hospital ‘short-sighted’

NASREC: DEPARTMENT CONFIRMS DECISION PERMANENT

Unpredictability of expected third wave of Covid-19 major factor, says expert.

The Gauteng health department decommissioned the 1 000-bed Nasrec Field Hospital at the end of February – a move which has one of the country’s leading vaccinology experts perplexed.

The potential for a third wave of Covid-19 infections and the challenge in preparing healthcare facilities has become a constant source of concern for health departments across the country.

The only constant in the virus’ pattern is change, which results in a tricky balancing act of bolstering responses while keeping an eye on wasteful expenditure, of which Gauteng has seen plenty in the past year.

The department said the decision to close the hospital came as a result of 4 264 beds being added to the public healthcare system.

This prompted Gauteng health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi to explain the province no longer needed to keep the facility open, as its closure “will not have a major impact in the treatment of Covid-19 patients”.

The field hospital admitted 1 658 patients since opening in April last year.

All financial commitments, materials and equipment used in the field hospital will be repurposed for use in other healthcare facilities.

However, the closure has raised some eyebrows.

The head of vaccinology at Wits University and chief investigator of the Covid-19 variant, 501Y.V2, Prof Shabir Madhi, said dismantling the facility would be “short-sighted” because no one knows what the next wave would be like.

“If it’s about a temporary shutdown because too few people need it right now, that makes sense for financial benefits,” he said.

But Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba confirmed the field hospital had been permanently closed.

Madhi said two major factors were at play in providing challenges for the prediction of the third wave of infections.

The first is the mutation of the virus and antibodies associated with those who have been infected by Sars-CoV-2, or 501Y.V2.

“This is beyond anyone’s ability to plan for.” –