What to Expect When Going in for Elective Surgery

We have implemented screening for patients, staff and other individuals coming to the hospital. We have separate COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related treatment areas to further reduce your risk. Our staff have all been equipped with the necessary PPE to ensure that we are able to care for all our patients, whatever their medical needs.

When your doctor has confirmed that you will be undergoing surgery, he/she will provide you with the necessary procedural details to complete your admission form. This can be completed online or you can visit our pre-admission centre to facilitate your paperwork. 

Your doctor will refer you for a COVID-19 swab test that must be conducted prior to confirming the surgery. 

You will receive an SMS 24 hours before your surgery, asking you to complete a risk assessment for COVID-19. You will also be screened when you come into the hospital. 

Your admission to the unit will proceed as normal; however, each patient will be expected to wear a cloth mask during admission. It is advisable to bring more than one if you are expecting a longer recovery period.

Each Mediclinic bed has a locker in which patients can safely store their personal belongings. Nevertheless, we encourage you to keep these to a minimum because of space limitations. 

While the pandemic continues to evolve, you may find that during peak periods, visiting hours have been adjusted or for only a designated visitor per patient.

These measures will allow non-Covid patients to indicate a designated visitor during their admission. The designated individual will have access to visit their relative between 11am and 5pm each day. As the hospital’s capacity is being released, additional hospitals will come on board with the revised and more flexible visitation policy.

Mediclinic also understands the importance of experiencing childbirth as a family unit. For this reason, during the COVID-19 pandemic, partners have been able to attend the birth of their child (unless the father was COVID-19 positive at the time of the birth).

We have also retained the right in our obstetric units for a partner to visit the mother and child each day, and where possible, boarding has continued. While we have permitted partners access to visit once a day, this has not had a time limit attached. 

Mediclinic has also continued to allow both parents access to the Neonatal ICU; with the condition that only one parent visits at a time, to ensure that essential bonding continues.

As happened during the peak of the pandemic, Mediclinic will continue to ensure that patients testing positive for COVID-19 remain in touch with their families by means of virtual conversations on zoom and similar technology. This has allowed family members to speak to patients, and for patients to receive some love and motivation to continue their recovery fight.

Where it has been possible during the pandemic, Mediclinic has continued to allow the family members of non-Covid patients to visit should the patients have been terminally ill.

Mediclinic is constantly re-evaluating our visitor policies and we are investigating the best options in this regard to ensure the optimal safety of our patients, staff and visitors.

We can assure you that additional precautions have been taken in theatre to reduce the risks of transmission, but these will not affect you directly. 

Your doctor will have explained the anticipated length of time you can expect to be admitted into hospital. This may be a simple day admission, or for an extended period. Your doctor will also explain which days are available for surgery. This will depend on his/her particular theatre slate as well as capacity in the particular unit. He/She will also explain the testing process for COVID-19 testing, to ensure that the hospital fully understands your condition before surgery.