- Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital will reopen on Monday.
- The hospital was closed after a fire damaged it in April.
- Out-patients are still being diverted to other healthcare centres for treatment.
The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital that was closed after a fire will reopen from Monday.
The hospital was closed after the fire - that started in the dispensary department - engulfed parts of its structure. Patients were transferred to surrounding hospitals for treatment.
Dr Sifiso Maseko, head of infrastructure at the Gauteng health department, said sections of the hospital not affected by the fire would start reopening in a phased-in approach.
Maseko said teams were deep cleaning the institution to prepare the obstetrics and neonatology to be the first departments to reopen. He said they also made an assessment on the oncology ward, but a final decision would still need to be made.
"The structural testing that was done of the facility shows that it is still sound and safe and ready for re-occupation," Maseko said at a provincial government briefing on Friday.
The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital has referred outpatients to other facilities, after a devastating fire over the weekend prompted it to close for seven days. | @TebogoMonama https://t.co/CsoursQQxZ
— News24 (@News24) April 20, 2021
He added that a report on the air quality at the building was expected soon.
Maseko said the parts of the building affected by the fire would not be open anytime soon.
"The beauty about Charlotte is that it is built in blocks. So we are able to isolate the burnt blocks and work on their rehabilitation. The part of the building that was burned still has to go through a structural assessment, and that will take time."
He said once the assessment was done, a decision on whether to rebuild the structure or tear it down and build a new one would be taken.
On Thursday, the Gauteng health department said the hospital's out-patients were still being diverted to other facilities for assistance. Those who were due for elective surgeries would have to rebook their appointments.
https://t.co/By0KBqO6sl | Patients evacuated, PPE and medical supplies destroyed in 'raging' Charlotte Maxeke hospital blaze https://t.co/iF9SKGpbZl
— News24 (@News24) April 17, 2021
Patients who had planned caesarian sections would be operated on at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. They need to make their appointments at the Discoverers Community Healthcare Centre in Florida.
Those who had oncology appointments, should go to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital on Wednesdays or Fridays.
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