Some deaths may have been linked to load reduction: health DG Buthelezi

The national department of health's director-general says some deaths in their facilities may have been as a result of load reduction but that they have referred those cases to the ombudsman for health to investigate.

Sandile Buthelezi revealed this on Tuesday while giving evidence at the load reduction inquiry held by the SA Human Rights Commission in Sandhurst. He said while hospitals are equipped with backup generators, the generators function for only a limited period.

Therefore, Buthelezi said, there may have been deaths linked to load reduction; however, those cases were under investigation.

“There is a connection between this issue and the loss of life. According to our reports, some cases have been referred to the ombud for a thorough investigation to ascertain any direct causality,” he said.

“While we can generally note that delays in surgery may have affected certain patients — possibly due to transfer delays or surgical postponements — we have not quantified these impacts, except for the two cases reported to us. Other reports may exist, but we have not received them yet.”

“In many cases, generators are installed only in critical areas. We prioritise essential locations such as operating theatres, intensive care units and neonatal nurseries to ensure they have a reliable power supply.

“However, when big issues arise, we often have no option but to transfer patients from smaller hospitals to larger ones. This transfer increases the workload for larger hospitals, which are usually more resilient and have more robust backup systems,” Buthelezi explained.

Christoffel Engelbrecht, who also represents the department, stated that they had visited Gauteng hospitals and clinics affected by load-shedding as well as load reduction.

Engelbrecht is the director for infrastructure and management of health facilities in the department.

“All the healthcare facilities generally had sufficient diesel supplies and were able to provide health services to those with access to diesel. Larger hospitals and community health services were able to operate 24/7. However, smaller clinics and community health centres were usually not exempt from load-shedding, making them most in need of alternative resources,” said Engelbrecht.

He said when clinics close due to load reduction, patients are transferred to hospitals, increasing strain on resources.

“The impact of load-shedding on essential services — such as pancreas and bowel surgeries, emergency care and life support — is big. In chronic load reduction, primary healthcare also becomes critical. Prolonged service failures at higher load reductions can worsen community health outcomes,” he said.

SowetanLIVE