Western Cape hospitals are spending millions to avoid load shedding

The Western Cape Government (WCG) is looking to implement solutions to deal with the energy crisis as it relates to load shedding and its detrimental effects on hospitals.

Keith Cloete, the head of the Western Cape Department of Health, said 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.

He said that there are also knock-on effects on staff morale. “Health workers already work under trying conditions. Blackouts are adding another layer of pressure and stress on staff,” said Cloete.

“The well-being 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.”

According to Alan Winde, the premier of the province, 10 hospitals in the Western Cape are currently exempted from load shedding up to stage 6:

• George Hospital
• Groote Schuur Hospital
• Karl Bremer Hospital
• Mitchells Plain Hospital
• Mowbray Maternity Hospital
• New Somerset Hospital
• Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital
• Tygerberg Hospital
• Victoria Hospital
• Wesfleur Hospital

He added that the provincial Department of Health is in discussions with Eskom to install a dedicated feeder for the Khayelitsha District Hospital at a cost of R1.5 million to have that facility too exempted from power cuts.

Cloete said that close to 200 healthcare facilities are yet to be exempted, and diesel costs for generators are growing steadily.

“Diesel availability and cost have been the biggest concern for us. From 1 April to 30 June 2023, we spent R12 million just on diesel. In the month of June alone, we spent more than R5 million on diesel, which was not budgeted for,” the head of the department said.

Generators are not the only source of alternative power; Cloete added that the department is planning for the installation of solar photovoltaic embedded generators at 15 hospitals for a combined total peak generation of 5MW.

Uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems have also been installed to keep the following services operational during blackouts:

• Life support medical equipment
• Operating theatres
• EMS call centres

Additionally, the department is also planning to supply 138 clinics with inverters and lithium batteries to provide a seamless essential power supply during loadshedding.

Read: Load shedding warning as another cold front hits South Africa