CAPE TOWN - The South African Police Service (SAPS) has recently launched its own quarantine and isolation centre for its infected members in Pretoria.
SAPS had recently launched quarantine and isolation facility located within their Tshwane academy with the 45-bed facility dedicated to its members.
The project was a joint effort between the SAPS and POLMED - SAPS Medica Scheme, while working closely with the department of health to prepare the facility which is part of a long-term plan being to later develop into a 160-bed SAPS Hospital post-pandemic.
“We intended to have a police hospital by 2021. This also coincides with a police university and detective university, which we intend to have soon. Also complementing our human capital investment, the SAPS is [in the process of] establishing police estates to provide more safety to our members, as we move forward,” said National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, at the launch.
As the country continues the fight against Covid-19, SAPS members remained exposed to the virus in efforts to fight criminal activity throughout the pandemic with the virus claiming the lives of 193 SAPS members.
Sithole said; “On a daily basis, our members are getting infected. At the present moment, we have an infection rate of 15 707."
General Khehla Sitole points out that although there have been over 11 000 recoveries this far, he has assured the opening of the quarantine and isolation facility will increase the rate of recovery amongst the SAPS members.
“We decided that while we are on a long-term plan to have a police hospital, we have to align our response with Covid-19 by turning this hospital into a quarantine site with POLMED. From then on, a strategy will be put in place to have facilities across all provinces so that we invest in the health of the organisation, making sure that members are taken care of,” said Sithole.
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