Covid-19 field hospital in Brackenfell nears completion

The Brackengate field hospital will be ready for its patients on Friday July 10, according to the provincial Department of Health.

A Covid-19 field hospital being built in a Brackenfell business park should be ready for patients by Friday July 10, according to the provincial Department of Health.

Spokeswoman Maret Lesch says the Brackengate intermediate-care facility will have 330  beds. It’s the third such field hospital in the province, joining the 862-bed Hospital of Hope at the The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and the 60-bed Thusong Multipurpose Centre in Khayelitsha.

There are plans to expand the Hospital of Hope by 800 beds when it gets full. 

A fourth field hospital, with 150 beds, is to be set up at the Cape Winelands Sonstraal Hospital, and Tygerberg Hospital will get an extra 30 beds for Covid-19 patients.

Some 1306 health workers are needed to staff the facilities, and Ms Lesch said the department planned to recruit volunteer staff and re-purpose existing staff. Go to https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/covid-19-recruitment-drive if you want to apply.