37 hospitals were currently exempted from load shedding

Health Minister Joe Phaahla held a briefing on the impact of Eskom-implementing rolling power cuts on the country’s public health facilities. He said that only 37 hospitals were currently exempted from load shedding.

This is due to compromised medical equipment, depleted diesel reserves for hospital generators and lack of budget. Therefore a tenth of South Africa’s public healthcare facilities have been exempted from the relentless rolling blackouts that have been ongoing for about a month.

The Health Minister said the government was doing all it could to mitigate some of the challenges faced by the public health sector as the country battles rolling power cuts

Phaahla said that more hospital would be added to the exemption list in coming days. For now, private hospitals are not exempted, but Phaahla acknowledged that the department was responsible for all healthcare services in South Africa and that there were discussions with Eskom, provincial and local governments to add private facilities to the exemption list. 

He said the criteria for hospital exclusion included patient volumes, the nature of the specialised services the hospitals provided and the technological and medical equipment they had on the premises.

Provinces where the load-shedding concession for hospitals is not yet in place include the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and North West.

The following health facilities are exempted from load-shedding.

Gauteng:

Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, Hellen Joseph

Hospital, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, George Mukhari

Hospital, Pretoria West Hospital, Tshwane District

Hospital, Mamelodi Hospital, Bronkhrospruit Hospital,

Kalafong Hospital,

Free State:

Pelenomi

 

 KwaZulu-Natal:

Harry Gwala Hospital (former Edendale),

Greys Hospital, Ladysmith Hospital, Prince Mshiyeni

Hospital, RK Khan Hospital, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital,

McCords Hospital, King Dinizulu Hospital, Mandela

Children`s Hospital, Mahatma Ghandi Hospital,

Osindindisweni Hospital, St Aidans Hospital, Addington

Hospital, Clairwood Hospital

 

 Limpopo:

Mankweng Hospital, Lebowakgomo Hospital,

Dilokong Hospital, Maklenburg Hospital,

Eastern Cape: 

Frere Hospital, Elliot Hospital, Livingstone

Hospital, PE Hospital, Uitenhage Hospital

 

Western Cape:

Tygerberg Hospital, Groote Schuur

Hospital, Red Cross Hospital

"The focus had been on the 80% to 90% of South Africans who were using public health facilities. As part of the intervention, the department was considering a phased investment in renewable energy through solar power installation at health facilities as part of the energy mix", said Phaahla.

He added that government would have to include alternative sources of energy, over and above generators, in its planning and budgeting for the future construction of health facilities

Pic: healthline.com

by Everngelista Muza