The number of Covid-19 patients at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town is doubling every five days, according to a doctor, one of several at the hospital that we spoke to. The hospital will not be able to cope unless something is done.
“Additional capacity to absorb the expected number of Covid-19 patients will need to be created by collapsing other services to allocate beds and redeploy staff from surgical and other disciplines,” a doctor told us.A doctor said to us that the number of Covid-19 patients is doubling about every five days. He said a “surge of cases” was expected in the next few weeks and “a transparent and feasible plan” to develop more capacity in the health-care system was urgent.
But some doctors and nurses are apparently not showing up for work or reluctant to work with Covid-19 patients. In a message to doctors, a senior hospital manager pleaded with them to make themselves available. “Some staff have volunteered to work in these wards; some have been told to work without any choice and then there are many who have not come to the fore as yet.”We asked a hospital doctor if the number of non-Covid-19 patients has declined. The doctor said it’s difficult to estimate because for some patients with respiratory illnesses, which increase at this time of the year, it’s not known if they have Covid-19 until their tests come back, which can take days.
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