BusinessLive reports that private hospital group Netcare says the three-week lockdown initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa might not be long enough to achieve the government’s aim of slowing the spread of Covid-19 to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed.
“Our modelling suggests that, as has been experienced in other countries, and depending on the effectiveness of the lockdown, it will require ongoing evaluation to determine if the time period is sufficient to achieve its intended goals,” it stated. Netcare has already spent R150m in stepping up protective measures in its facilities and readying itself for an anticipated surge in Covid-19 patients. It has paused capital expenditure projects totalling R800m, put strategic projects on hold and is suspending future share buybacks. The group has also stopped all non-essential elective surgery and closed its in-house pharmacies to the public, to reduce the risk of asymptomatic carriers transmitting the virus to staff or patients. Netcare said the situation in SA was “extremely concerning”, and its actuarial modelling indicated the already constrained health system would struggle to cope with the looming increase in the number of patients requiring hospitalisation and beds in intensive care units. Given the state’s limited hospital bed capacity, the health department has been negotiating with the private sector to draw on its resources. Netcare has agreed to treat state patients on a not-for-profit, cost-recovery basis.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive
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