The Western Cape province has faced unexpected expenses of over R5 million in June alone as a result of having to rely on diesel generators to maintain essential health services during loadshedding.
Health officials have stressed that this expenditure was not anticipated in their budget, posing significant challenges to the provision of healthcare.
According to EWN, between April and June of this year, the province spent a substantial R12 million solely on diesel to keep crucial health facilities running amid the rolling power cuts. However, ten hospitals in the Western Cape have been granted exemptions from loadshedding up to stage six to mitigate the impact on healthcare operations.
Also read: Have your say on loadshedding with Cape Town’s draft Energy Strategy
Dr Keith Cloete, the head of health for the Western Cape, expressed the magnitude of the issue during a media briefing on Thursday, held as part of Premier Alan Winde’s weekly Energy Digicon.
He highlighted the detrimental effects of load shedding on medical equipment, computers, digital records, telecommunications, cold storage, security systems, fire alarms and access control.
He claimed that power outages have a negative impact on the essential components of healthcare operations, making it a complex and challenging situation to manage.
Premier Alan Winde acknowledged the seriousness of the energy crisis and reassured the public that plans were underway to address the issue. However, he emphasised that fixing the energy crisis in the province is a long-term investment and not something that can be resolved quickly.
The provincial government is reportedly actively working on solutions, but it will take time to implement them effectively.
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In the meantime, the government will continue to keep the citizens of the Western Cape informed through regular updates during the weekly digicons.
Premier Winde said that while everyone hopes for a swift resolution, it is essential to recognise that solving the energy crisis requires patience and sustained efforts over an extended period.
‘It is a long-term investment; this is something new that we are all busy doing in this province, and that’s why we hold these weekly digicons to keep the citizens in this province updated, and I know you all want this to be a quick fix; unfortunately, it is not going to just happen in a mere month; it happens over a period of time,’ explained Premier Winde.
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