First ‘police hospital’ officially opens in Pretoria for Covid-19

SA’s first “police hospital” have officially open.

This comes after the virus claimed the lives of 193 officers.

The new 160-bed facility will first be used for police officers who contracted Covid-19.

The Police Hospital at the Tshwane SAPS  Academy was opened on Thursday by the deputy police minister Cassel Mathale, SAPS  national commissioner Gen Khehla Sitole and the management of the SA Police Medical Scheme (Polmed).

Mathale said it is an innovative response to curb the virus spread “and to ensure that we protect our front-line workers for them to be able to continue to deliver much-needed services to our citizens.”

Principal officer of Polmed, Neo Khauoe, said the site could accommodate 160 patients but for now, it would accommodate up to 45 patients due to Covid-19 regulations.

She said “it was important for us to ensure that our officers are safe during this pandemic.”

Sitole said the facility will later be converted to a hospital for police officers after the pandemic.

“The hospital is part of a long-term plan and part of the SAPS turnaround vision.”

“We will also look into another additional facility,” he said.

Dr Nkateko Munisi, chair of the advisory board of the RH group and non-executive director of hospitals, confirmed that the hospital is well equipped.

“For now the facility has been prepared to accommodate 45 members for isolation purposes”

“We have different wards for female and male but it is fully fledged, well equipped, with the standard of any private facility — but strictly for police officers,” he said.