Cape Town - 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.
On Friday, the national Health Department held a briefing on the exemption of hospitals from load shedding. It included the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Tygerberg and Groote Schuur hospitals on the list.
During its own briefing just hours later, the provincial Health Department said these hospitals formed part of an existing agreement with the City of Cape Town that had been in place for four years which exempted the three hospitals from up to stage-6 load shedding.
“The exemptions made by Minister Joe Phaahla have left the Western Cape behind. This cannot be acceptable. We are appealing to the national department to seriously consider our request for the further exemptions at our critical service-delivery sites,” Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said.
Head of department Dr Keith Cloete said the department was engaging with the City and Eskom on a list of additional hospitals to which it wished exemption status to be extended.
Within the City of Cape Town grid, the department has requested that nine hospitals be exempted, in order of priority, Mitchells Plain Hospital; Mowbray Maternity Hospital; New Somerset Hospital; Karl Bremer Hospital; Victoria Hospital; Wesfleur Hospital; Helderberg Hospital; False Bay Hospital; and the Oral Health Centre at Tygerberg Hospital.
On the Eskom grid, a request for 10 further hospitals to be exempted has been made: George Hospital; Khayelitsha Hospital; Worcester Hospital; Paarl Hospital; Caledon Hospital; Vredendal Hospital; Eerste River Hospital; Oudtshoorn Hospital; Ceres Hospital; and Beaufort West Hospital.
Cloete said the department was hoping to receive the outcome of the requests from Eskom and the City by early this week.
Since April 2022, the national department had spent R53 196 434 on fuel, oil and medical gas to keep health facilities running during blackouts.
Phaahla said: “These persistent power outages are significantly contributing to (the) reduced lifespan of some critical medical equipment, including back-up generators.
“These unpredictable, prolonged power outages at higher stages of load shedding pose a threat to the safety and efficacy of medications and vaccines that need to be stored at specific temperatures.”
Security at these facilities was also compromised during load shedding. Phaahla said engagements with Eskom and municipalities were continuing regarding the exemption of hospitals.
The national department was considering a phased-approach investment in solar power installations at health facilities.
“This will need feasibility studies before we commence with critical health facilities per province for theatres, intensive care units and hi-tech equipment,” Phaahla said.