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Staff and patients at Charlotte Maxeke transferred to other hospitals

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Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi says doctors and the staff at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg have been transferred with patients to other hospitals after yesterday’s fire. Over 400 patients have been moved to various hospitals across the province following the blaze that initially broke out in the hospital’s dispensary stores and later reignited and spread to other parts of the institution.

The hospital has been closed for seven days to allow for an assessment of the situation before on-site services can be restored.  

According to Johannesburg Emergency Services, the fire has been completely extinguished.  

Mokgethi says there will be a continuation of healthcare.

“As we were transferring patients to other hospitals, there were those doctors who were driving behind the ambulance so that they can continue care when they arrive. And we have also taken a decision that the staff of the hospital will be divided and allocated to the hospitals where we have transferred the patients to make sure that there is continuity of care.”

Not an easy decision to close the hospital

Gauteng Premier David Makhura announced the temporary closing of the hospital.

Makhura says they had no choice but to close the hospital for at least a week.

“It is not an easy decision that we had to make. We must put out the fire. We must call in all the relevant support and resources to put out the fire. This fire must not get to damage the rest of the building. It has damaged the areas now, the parking area and some of the areas still have cars that are still parked in here but the fire is contained,” explained Premier Makhura.

Makhura’s speaks to journalists outside the hospital:

 

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