As the country experienced the worst load-shedding in recent months, Gauteng healthcare facilities faced near deaths as generators failed to kick in during power outages.
In some instances, some facilities did not have enough fuel to run the generators with the health department saying about 181 such cases had been reported this year alone.
Acting Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko revealed the incidents in a reply to DA health shadow MEC Jack Bloom’s questions in the legislature.
Tshwane was the hardest hit district with 98 incidents recorded.
At the Tembisa Hospital on the East Rand, six incidents were recorded over the months with one occurrence in July nearly claiming the lives of four babies who were on ventilators.
Hospital CEO Dr Ashley Mthunzi said the generators had been running on low fuel and failed to kick in when load-shedding started on the day.
"Our doctors had to speedily resuscitate the babies and luckily it was a success. These were near misses because had we not organised ourselves properly at the time we were required to, we could have lost a child."
Mthunzi said the hospital was burning about 150 litres of diesel during an outage, with some of its critical equipment such as ventilators depending on it.
He said the running costs were also crippling hospitals.
"We have critical equipment that is powering vulnerable patients with respiratory issues, like ventilators. You would have a situation where a battery is no longer supporting a ventilator because its four-hour life span has run out.
"Sometimes if you do not have sufficient diesel you are unable to mechanically ventilate, so most of the time we would have our doctors on stand-by in case they would be required to manually ventilate.
"Our recommendation is healthcare facilities should be exempt from load-shedding," Mthunzi said.
Bloom said he was alarmed by the number of generator failures that disrupt health services, putting lives in danger with the generators in the Johannesburg district running out 52 times.
"... in the Vaal area there were 15 incidents of diesel shortage and there were five incidents in clinics in Ekurhuleni,” he said.
“Sebokeng Hospital had two such incidents and the Far East Rand, Bronkhorstspruit and Heidelberg hospitals each had a single incident of fuel shortage.”
The department has spent about R42.5m on diesel for generators this year alone, which is nearly double the R22.5m for the same period last year.
Nkomo-Ralehoko attributed the inflation of costs to economic inflation, price adjustment as per contract signed off with the National Treasury, rate of consumption due to load-shedding and other variables.
Reasons for the diesel shortages are given as follows: “The National Treasury contract has resulted in a number of suppliers awarded the tender per province. The inability of the main contractor has led to other substitutes appointed to assist in the supply of diesel. The issue of load-shedding increased demand, which directly impacted on the appointed contractor’s ability to supply large quantities and on time.”
Department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba also called for health facilities to be excluded from load-shedding, saying the hospitals could not afford to run generators.
"Recent global factors have seen fuel prices going up significantly and due to frequent load-shedding, facilities have had to order fuel more frequently above their normal requirement," he said.
"As part of long-term interventions, the provincial government recently through the MEC for treasury announced a roof top solar power project which is meant to alleviate pressure in this area. This will see 11 hospitals being able to harness close to 10MW of their own electricity power from rooftop solar PVs," he said.
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
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