Take a look inside our new testing and triage centre at the Mitchells Plain Hospital.

Take a look inside our new testing and triage centre at the Mitchells Plain Hospital.

This is one of 17 such facilities planned for the province. These centres help to take the pressure off of emergency centres and allow a dedicated space for patients who are symptomatic, or believe they require testing, to be triaged, screened and tested.

Similar facilities are already operational at Tygerberg and Paarl hospitals. Testing and triage centres are also planned for Khayelitsha and the Garden Route. The facilities have been designed with social distancing in mind and have been set up so that symptomatic and asymptomatic patients are seated in separate areas. They can also be easily converted, should the need arise, to create additional bed space.

This is just one aspect of our medical response to the coronavirus - aimed at ensuring our facilities are geared to provide the appropriate care and to stop the spread. We are currently exploring the use of sites across the province where temporary care, quarantine or isolation facilities can be created, should the need arise.