South African\u2019s private hospital operators have warned that they are facing severe capacity constraints due to a resurgence in coronavirus cases.<\/p>\n
The Covid-19 pandemic first peaked in Africa\u2019s most industrialized economy in late July before infections tailed off. The country is in the midst of a\u00a0second wave\u00a0of the disease that began shortly before the festive season – which sees millions of people traverse the country to holiday destinations and home towns and villages.<\/p>\n
Netcare Ltd., Life\u00a0Healthcare<\/span>\u00a0Group Holdings Ltd and\u00a0Mediclinic International Plc, the country\u2019s three biggest private hospital groups, which had spare capacity in most areas during the initial surge, all said they were confronting bed shortages.<\/p>\n In four of South Africa\u2019s most populous provinces, \u201cwe have\u00a0noted<\/span>\u00a0a substantial resurgence in Covid-19 patients and the health-care system is under significant pressure,\u201d said Charl van Loggerenberg, Life\u00a0Healthcare<\/span>\u2019s general manager of emergency medicine.<\/p>\n Intensive care and high care units are \u201cparticularly under severe strain\u201d in the KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape regions, he said.<\/p>\n Besides\u00a0admit<\/span>ting more Covid-19 patients, the hospitals are also having to administer additional treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are seeing a significantly higher demand for oxygenation of sick patients versus the first wave,\u201d Netcare\u2019s Chief Executive Officer Richard Friedland said in an emailed response to questions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen more cases in both the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, and expect to exceed the number of cases seen in the first wave in KwaZulu-Natal this week.\u201d<\/p>\n The number of cases in South Africa\u2019s economic hub of Gauteng, which was already on the rise, is expected to spike when holidaymakers return in early January, Friedland said.<\/p>\n All three companies are recruiting more nurses, temporarily relocating staff to hotspot areas and making contingency plans to convert additional wards to accommodate Covid-19 patients. Non-essential surgical cases are largely being postponed.<\/p>\n There have been 921,922 confirmed coronavirus infections in South Africa so far, and 24,961 people diagnosed with the disease have died, according to the Health Department.<\/p>\n
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