Patients in the field hospital in the Cape Town International Conference Center (Kiks) will start on Friday to be transferred to the Brackengate temporary hospital.
The “Hospital of Hope” in the Kiks will receive its last patient on 18 August and close by mid-September.
Dr. Keith Cloete, head of the Western Cape health department, confirmed the closure on Thursday on the basis of the provincial government’s contract with the Kiks, at a virtual news conference.
Cloete says the temporary hospital in Cape Town’s city center admitted 1 502 people, of whom 1 440 were discharged and 82 died. There are only 57 people left.
“Preparations are now being made to scale down the facilities.”
The Brackengate Hospital in the northern suburbs has capacity for 330 beds and has already received 201 people, of whom 153 were discharged and four died.
This temporary hospital for intermediate care has more space and will remain open for the foreseeable future, says Cloete.
Meanwhile, Thusong Field Hospital in Khayelitsha also closed this week after 241 patients were admitted and 194 discharged.
The Sonstraal Field Hospital in Paarl has 63 beds ready and the first patients are expected on Thursday.
Additional hospital beds were also made available in Hermanus (32), Vredendal (20) and George (20).
