SA Hospitals Ill-Equipped to Handle Major Disaster

A FIFA medical adviser has warned that South Africa's public hospitals are "completely unprepared" to handle a major World Cup-related disaster such as a crowd stampede or riot.

"Hospital disaster plans are actually a disaster," said Professor Efraim Kramer, a Fifa medical officer and adviser to the local organising committee.

Kramer, head of emergency medicine at Johannesburg's Witwatersrand University, told a doctors conference on Wednesday that public hospitals had "absolutely no idea" how to implement disaster management plans because they had not been tested.

In contrast, Kramer said private hospitals, some of the best in the world, were better prepared and had good disaster plans. The South African government says public hospitals would handle at least 70 percent of the World Cup workload.

'Hospitals not ready for WC disaster'
Reuters
April 15, 2010

Durban Hospitals OK'd to Handle World Cup Crowds

Hospitals and health care facilities in Durban have been given the seal of approval from parliamentary committees for their readiness ahead of the World Cup.

"From the presentations we heard, the level of integration and co-operation within the government levels and the advancement of the preparations, we are sincerely satisfied," health portfolio committee chairman Dr Bevani Goqwana said in a statement.

Durban hospital ready for World Cup visitors
Independent Online
April 12, 2010