Mitchell’s Plain District Hospital has a new ward to help with the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
Freesia Ward, previously known as Carnation, is at Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital.
It has been given a fresh coat of paint and frosted windows and made fit to treat 60 Covid-19 patients.
Mohamed Sonday, Mitchell’s Plain District Hospital pharmacist, had called on the Gift of the Givers Foundation to support the hospital’s efforts to help Covid-19 patients.
The foundation responded with a R10 million donation to renovate and equip the ward with 60 new beds, new oxygen machines and other equipment.
The ward will allow the hospital to open additional bed capacity for non-Covid-19 services.
The ward was unveiled on Thursday August 6.
Foundation founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, said: “It showed that private and public partnerships can work, when you give some tender love and care.”
Dr Keith Cloete, provincial head of health, said he was proud of what had been achieved within 30 days.
Dr Cloete said the ward would be used beyond Covid-19 as infection numbers were stabilising and had started to drop in parts of the province.
Late last month, premier Alan Winde said the pandemic had started to stabilise in the province “with a decline in some areas being experienced”.