Coronavirus fears at Pretoria’s Mediclinic Muelmed
Panic has gripped staff at Mediclinic Muelmed after a patient tested positive for coronavirus following a medical procedure.
According to staff, panic has been brewing at the hospital in Pretorius Street, Arcadia, since the incident on Monday.
Staff members said all of them – from those in reception to nurses and other medical staff, as well as patients – were at risk of contracting the virus.
It is claimed that a patient who had been admitted for an “evacuation of the uterus” tested positive for Covid-19.
Staff members said the theatre team worked closely with the patient without knowing her Covid-19 status.
A patient said the mood at the hospital was so sombre now that nurses were not their usual helpful selves. The patient claimed they were reluctant to assist patients.
“They look overly weary following the incident,” she said.
Staff members received an SMS on Monday afternoon when the patient’s test result came back positive. They said she was not isolated, tested or sent home. Two staff members refused to carry on working, but the rest remained until the end of the shift.
One said matters had become so bad that at least one doctor had cancelled a theatre procedure.
The Mediclinic hospital group told the Pretoria News it was aware of the case. The patient had been screened at the emergency centre, but did not present any high-risk symptoms.
The patient was tested again, according to the new Mediclinic policy to test all admissions.
The hospital said a heightened level of monitoring and risk mitigation against possible Covid-19 transmission had been put in place at all Mediclinic hospitals as the country transitioned to Level 4 of the lockdown to mitigate the risks of increased patient visits to hospitals.
Mediclinic said all staff had been provided with appropriate personal protective equipment. Since a hospital surgical theatre is a high-risk environment, it is mandatory that all staff wear protective equipment at all times.
Read the full story on: IOL.