Durban - MEC for Health in KwaZulu-Natal Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu today unveiled the isolation and quarantine facilities which have been constructed at the Clairwood Hospital.
According to the MEC, the hospital is the latest addition to the province's isolation and quarantine centres and will be able to allow 154 patients to be placed in isolation and 40 more to be placed in quarantine.
Joined by Head of Department Dr Sandile Tshabalala and representatives of organised labour, Simelane-Zulu said the centre was refurbished in just two months.
It also has technological advancements such as doors programmed to only permit entry for people with an appropriate temperature and who are wearing a mask, as well as a wash bay to sanitise ambulances immediately after dropping off Covid-19 patients.
"Although we are also investing in field hospitals that will be placed in several venues such as the Pietermaritzburg Royal Show grounds and the Durban Exhibition Centre, renovating our own facilities was a must so that our facilities are useful for even after the pandemic.
"We also want to make sure that our facilities meet National Health Insurance (NHI) requirements so that they can be accredited," Simelane-Zulu said.
Nationally, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Patricia de Lille said nearly 2 000 quarantine sites have been earmarked to assist government isolate and treat Covid-19 patients as the fight against the virus rages on.
Some of these will serve as quarantine sites for repatriated South Africans, where they will be required to undergo mandatory isolation before being allowed back to their families.
De Lille said to date, more than 1 751 facilities have been earmarked as proposed quarantined sites comprising more than 129 600 beds across the country, in all 44 districts and eight metros.
The MEC also announced the recruitment of thousands of various categories of employees who will work in the Covid-19 wards for the next six months and possibly beyond.
"In one of our biggest and most significant HR recruitment drives ever, we have, as of this week, advertised 4 773 posts. We are looking to recruit 2 408 professional murses, 1 968 enrolled nurses, 230 general orderlies, 70 ward clerks and 97 ICU nurses," she said.