Cape Town - The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital said it was preparing for an influx of child injuries related to motor vehicle accidents, drownings, burns and falls.
According to Professor Sebastian van As, head of the hospital's trauma unit, the number of patients admitted with such injuries increases over the festive season.
“Eighty percent of trauma cases are related to road accidents and children not being properly secured in vehicles by means of a seatbelt.”
Van As said 5% of the children treated at the unit were admitted with injuries that were not accidental but were as a result of sexual and physical abuse.
“In these cases, the hospital does not discharge the patients without ensuring that they have a safe home to go to. A team consisting of clinical staff, a social worker and law enforcement officials work hard to ensure the safety of the child,” Van As said.
He said the hospital was also gearing up for “paediatric surge season”, the daunting period between November and May where several children are admitted suffering from gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition.
Head of the clinical unit, ambulatory and emergency paediatrics Dr Heloise Buys said she and her team were excited about the redesign of the emergency centre and trauma unit.
“The upgrade will improve the space and flow, making triaging and treatments more efficient. It will help us to attend to patients quicker. The waiting area will be restructured with new isolation cubicles, adequate consulting rooms and stabilising areas.”
The hospital said given that each year the emergency centre treats over 45 000 children and on average, its specialist teams carry out 24 surgeries a day, the upgrade and expansion was crucial.
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