Western Cape spends R12m in three months to power its hospitals

The Western Cape health department has spent R12m in the past three months on 200 healthcare facilities that have not been exempted from load-shedding. 

Head of health Keith Cloete said in June alone the department spent more than R5m on diesel which was not budgeted for. 

“Diesel availability and cost have been the biggest concern for us. From April 1 to June 30 we spent R12m just on diesel. While the money being spent on mitigating the impacts of load-shedding could have been used elsewhere, we cannot allow patients to suffer the consequences when seeking healthcare services,” said Cloete during premier Alan Winde's energy digicon this week 

The digicon, first introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic to keep the public updated about the pandemic, now discusses relentless power blackouts. 

To resolve the energy crisis facing public hospitals, the department says it’s also in discussions with Eskom to install a dedicated feeder for the Khayelitsha District Hospital at a cost of R1.5m to have it exempted from power cuts and join 10 other hospitals already exempted. 

Cloete explained that power outages impair the capacity to adequately provide an array of health services, affecting medical equipment, computers, digital records, cold storage as well as telecommunications, among others. 

Chronic blackouts are also affecting staff morale.

Cloete said the department is going beyond its mandate of just providing healthcare services and will soon be installing solar photovoltaic embedded generators at 15 hospitals for a combined total peak generation of 5MW. 

Uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems have been installed at healthcare facilities to keep life support medical equipment, operating theatres and EMS call centres going. 

In addition the department is also planning to supply 138 clinics with inverters and lithium batteries to provide a seamless essential power supply during load-shedding. Smart metres installed at 68 facilities across the province help the department monitor its electricity consumption. 

Winde said implementing and seeking solutions to the crisis will “unfortunately take time”.

“Fixing the energy problem is not just about flicking a switch. It is a long-term investment. I know residents want this to be fixed quickly, but this will not happen over a period of months. This takes time and unfortunately it will be tough. 

“Health workers already work under trying conditions. Blackouts are adding another layer of pressure and stress on staff.”

Cloete added: “The wellbeing of our staff has been our biggest concern. Coming out of Covid-19 into dealing with a resurgence of healthcare needs with fewer resources — on top of that, load-shedding. It is taking its toll on our staff.”

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