The AngloGold Ashanti Hospital in Carletonville on the West Rand has finally started receiving patients as Covid-19 numbers in Gauteng climb. As Gauteng on Friday recorded 11,777 new Covid-19 infections, the highest ever since the outbreak, the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital in Carletonville — which lay dormant for 15 months — had two days earlier received its first five patients.
But after the handover of 80 of the 181 beds, Gauteng infrastructure and development MEC Tasneem Motara could not commit to a deadline for a complete opening, other than “it will not take long”.
Her infrastructure department met contractors on Wednesday and Thursday to iron out the issues and pledged to encourage the main contractor to fulfil his obligation to pay his workers.
But even if more beds become available for use, staffing is an issue.
“I am assured by the health MEC they are doing everything in terms of recruitment of staff,” said deputy health minister Joe Phahla.
Conducting a site visit on Friday, its corridors were almost empty as only a handful of staff had been secured to work at the hospital.
“I am impressed with what I have seen. It is a good investment. Clearly this place has been well upgraded with all the necessary capacity to supply ventilators and oxygen. It’s a facility that will add a lot of capacity to Gauteng,” said Phahla.
Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi confirmed the recruitment was under way but once it was fully operational, it would have 125 staff members. She said there were now 63 staff members including clinicians and admin support.
“We have agreed as a province that for nurses and clinicians, we will approve walk-ins (people bringing CVs) but for all other categories, positions will be advertised,” Mokgethi said.
“The department said we can only use 80 beds because that is the section that is 100% compliant.”
Two of the three hospital wings are yet to reach standards of compliance.The CEO of nearby Carletonville Hospital, Sonwabile Lindani, said they had decided it was time to start using the Anglo facility after the startling Covid-19 numbers that were recorded that day.It was patients transferred from his strained hospital that had got the ball rolling on operations at Anglo.Mokgethi confirmed that it was Wednesday’s numbers of 10,806 infections that pushed them to opening the hospital.“Remember, we did not have pressure in Gauteng. So immediately when we saw that Leratong is having pressure and Yusuf Dadoo Hospital in Krugersdorp, we […]
