Western Cape government wants 19 more hospitals to be exempted from loadshedding

The Western Cape Government said they are in talks with the National Government to exempt more healthcare facilities in the province from rolling power cuts. The provincial government was responding to the national Health Department who held a briefing, announcing  that 37 hospitals are exempted from load shedding. However only three hospital from the Cape metro were announced this included the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Tygerberg and Groote Schuur hospitals.

The Western Cape’s Health and Wellness Department has requested that an additional 19 hospitals across the province be exempted from load shedding, after it claimed the province had been left out of the national Health Department’s list of exempted health facilities.

Provincial Health & Wellness MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said these hospitals formed part of an existing agreement with the City of Cape Town that had been in place for four years.

Head of department Dr Keith Cloete said that the Department of Health and Wellness have made submissions, for the exemption of an additional 10 hospitals on the Eskom grid and nine on the City of Cape Town's grid .

Hospitals on the City of Cape Town grid for which exemptions have been requested for are (in this order) are:

 

Mitchells Plain

Mowbray Maternity

New Somerset

Karl Bremer

Victoria

Wesfleur

Helderberg

False Bay

Oral Health Centre

Hospitals on the Eskom grid for which exemptions have been requested for are (in this order) are:

 

George

Khayelitsha

Worcester

Paarl

Caledon

Vredendal

Eerste River

Oudshoorn

Ceres

Beaufort West

The health department also said that the list made was based on workload, and the range of services offered at each hospital.

Dr Cloete said that Since April 2022, the national department had spent just over R 53 196 434 on fuel, oil and medical gas to keep health facilities running during blackouts. Dr Wayne Smith, from the City of Cape Town’s EMS, said that despite the Department’s preparedness in the event of a national black-out, the dire consequences currently experienced within the health system cannot be overlooked.

by Everngelista Muza