NETCARE DEPLOYS ROBOTS TO DISINFECT ITS FACILITIES

HEALTHCARE company Netcare announced yesterday that it had deployed highly effective germ-destroying robots at its healthcare facilities, as one of the measures to prevent the spread of infections. “Netcare has for long placed an emphasis on infection prevention within its health care facilities as a result of the ongoing prevalence of highly infectious viruses such as the coronaviruses, and so-called ‘superbugs,” Netcare chief executive Richard Friedland (pictured) said. “As a result, we started to acquire super-effective germ-destroying robots late in 2017, to bolster our existing comprehensive disinfection measures.” Friedland said the spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in South Africa, has seen a surge of public interest in preventive measures of health care providers in containing infections, more specifically Covid-19, at their facilities, and in the latest technologies for prevention and control in hospitals. The Yanex Pulsed-Xenon UV robots deployed in Netcare hospitals use high doses of UV light to destroy viruses, bacteria and fungal spores, and they disinfect hospital wards, operating theatres and other spaces within minutes. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced yesterday that the number of infections had increased by 152 to 554 cases. On Monday, just hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day lockdown, the country recorded its first massive increase in the number of Covid-19 cases from 274 on Sunday to 402 on Monday. | African News Agency (ANA)