GP govt announces 7-day closure of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital due to fire damage Scores of patients are being evacuated from the facility in Johannesburg as firefighters from across the province battle the blaze which has swept through several parts of the hospital. Gauteng Premier David Makhura announced the temporary closure of Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital during his visit with MECs for Health and Infrastructure, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi and Tasneem Motara, Saturday 17 April 2021 to inspect the damage to the facility following a fire. Picture: Twitter/@GautengHealth
15 hours ago
JOHANNESBURG – The Gauteng government has moved to temporarily shut down Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital following severe fire damage.
Scores of patients are being evacuated from the Charlotte Maxeke hospital in Johannesburg as firefighters from across the Gauteng province battle a blaze sweeping through the facility
‘Does the long-term wearing of masks have any negative impact on one’s health?’
Prolonged use of any face mask has not been shown to cause carbon dioxide toxicity or lack of adequate oxygen in healthy people. Healthcare workers routinely wear masks for prolonged periods while performing their duties.
Cloth masks provide an additional layer of protection by reducing the number of microorganisms that a person releases into the air. Mass mask wearing will ensure that fewer potential viral droplets are released into the air. Wearing a mask reduces the risk that someone will be exposed to the virus.
‘Lockdown measures deprive people of their freedoms, keeping with authoritarianism’
Tshwane’s Steve Biko Academic Hospital in the ‘eye of the pandemic storm’ – Makhura
Gauteng Premier David Makhura hears from staff at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital. (Marcia Zali/Health-e News)
As Covid-19 infections strain facilities in Gauteng, Premier David Makhura visited the hospital at the centre of the struggle against the pandemic. The wave of infections also prompted officials to reopen field hospitals.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura has described the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Tshwane “the eye of the storm of the second wave of infections.”
As Covid-19 infections strain facilities in Gauteng, the premier paid a visit to the struggling hospital on January 11. Makhura told journalists he was compelled to visit the overwhelmed hospital after disturbing social media images over the weekend. Social media users circulated photos of tents set up outside the hospital and filled with patients.
Citizen reporter Two additional fever tents were constructed over the weekend, to accommodate the renewed increase in Covid-19 cases. Gauteng Premiere addresses the media outside a field hospital by the entrance to Steve Biko Academic Hospital where Gauteng Premiere David Makhura visited, 11 January 2020, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
A sharp increase in Covid-19 patients has been observed at the hospital since December last year.
In a statement released by the Gauteng health department on Sunday, patients being admitted are reported to be more ill and require critical care.
Patients are also arriving in groups, and others are being referred to the hospital from private and public healthcare faculties in Gauteng, the North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, putting additional strain on a facility already struggling due to the pandemic.