The South African United Business Confederation (SAUBC) said on Thursday that it was greatly concerned about the impact load shedding is having on South Africa’s healthcare delivery.
SAUBC president George Sebulela warned on Thursday that the safety of patients and healthcare workers is at risk and, more importantly, cannot be guaranteed due to load shedding.
The SAUBC said in a statement that “uninterrupted power supply is essential in maintaining the daily activities of any hospital or clinic, so as not to compromise healthcare”.
Dr Coetzee, chairperson of the SAUBC’s health committee, said load shedding also inadvertently leads to water shortages, “especially at the Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa hospitals in Gauteng, but other hospitals might also be affected in future if load shedding continues”.
“This poses serious threats to infection and prevention control of various medical diseases, putting healthcare workers and patients at risk,” Coetzee said.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
The SAUBC said in the statement that it “recommends the establishment of a national reporting structure on adverse patient outcomes during load shedding with an infection and prevention control dashboard where private and public doctors have access to report”.
The business association urged the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, to follow up on discussions held with the provinces, Eskom, municipalities and Treasury, and to provide the public with regular feedback and “help exempt hospitals and any other healthcare facilities from this disastrous Eskom load shedding”.
TRUST IN ESKOM AND ITS CEO
Despite the major issues at Eskom, the utility’s board has faith in the Eskom management.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Eskom’s new chairperson, Mpho Makwana, said the new board and its leadership would not make any major changes to Eskom’s management right away.
The board is conducting reviews and assessments.
In the interview, Makwana said he believed that Eskom CEO André de Ruyter’s “heart is in the right place“. Makwana applauded his efforts and said he supported the Eskom CEO.
SOME GOOD NEWS
Following an outcry over the impact of load shedding on state hospitals in the Western Cape, five more facilities have been exempt from rolling blackouts.
Western Cape MEC for health and wellness, Nomafrench Mbombo welcomed the news that the New Somerset, Mitchells Plain, Karl Bremer, Victoria and George hospitals had been added to the list of hospitals in the province that are exempt from load shedding.
This brings the total number of exempted hospitals in the province to eight.
BUSINESS REPORT