Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba has rubbished claims by a doctor at Mankweng Hospital that there are no ICU beds available at that hospital and others in the province, leading to the increase in COVID-19 related deaths.
The Times reports that it had, last week, published in account from a doctor who said patients were dying at an alarming rate at that hospital due to the unavailability of ICU beds. The doctor said they couldn’t transfer patients to other hospitals in the province as ICU beds there were also full.
The Times reports that in response, Ramathuba labelled the claims as a lie, and said the doctors who spread this kind of misinformation were those who don’t want to work in COVID wards. She, however, admitted that the province was seeing patients die on arrival or shortly after admission – but she said this was because they sought medical attention when it was too late.
The department provided the following breakdown of the three major hospitals:
Pietersburg Hospital has three COVID-19 wards, each with an average of 36 beds.
The high-care facility at Modimolle MDR Hospital has five ventilators. Currently only one patient requires ventilation. It also has 22 high-flow oxygen machines attached to its 27 high-care unit beds. Currently only five patients are using those machines.
Mankweng Hospital has a COVID-19 ward with 57 normal beds. Twelve are high-care beds and an additional 12 are ICU beds. Only one patient admitted to the ICU is currently ventilated.
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-01-06-limpopo-health-mec-slams-claims-there-are-no-icu-beds-in-the-province/"]Full report in The Times[/link]