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Netcare diverts emergency patients as trauma units at its three Durban hospitals close

Netcare's Kingsway hospital is not accepting patients after six health care workers tested positive for Covid-19
Netcare's Kingsway hospital is not accepting patients after six health care workers tested positive for Covid-19
Image: Sandile Ndlovu

Private hospital group Netcare has been diverting emergency patients to other facilities while the trauma units of its three Durban hospitals remain temporarily closed.

Craig Murphy, Netcare Hospitals' regional director, said on Saturday that Parkland's hospital remained “open and operating”, except for its emergency department which was temporarily closed while relocation to a new area on its grounds took place.

The hospital recently came into the spotlight after a patient with stage 4 prostate cancer died at the facility after testing positive for Covid-19.

Murphy said sister hospitals St Augustine's and Kingsway were closed for emergencies as well as the admitting of patients.

Netcare announced on Wednesday that a patient had tested positive for Covid-19 at Kingsway.

It subsequently emerged that six health care workers had also tested positive for the virus.

At St Augustine's, 66 people — including health care workers had tested positive. Four deaths related to the virus were recorded at the hospital.

EMS service providers are aware that the hospitals' emergency departments are closed, and will therefore transport people needing medical care from the scene of the accident or incident directly to another appropriate emergency department.

“People who make their own way to an emergency department will also have to visit an alternative facility,” said Murphy. ​

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