The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has rolled out a R81 million project aimed at installing emergency backup power solutions at 121 rural healthcare facilities across the province in the wake of increased loadshedding.
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Over the next 12 months, the department plans to install hybrid inverters in rural primary health care facilities over two phases, as well as solar panels at 15 hospitals.
‘Over the past year, blackouts have intensified significantly. We have had only 1 day without blackouts this year. It is a direct threat to the delivery of health care services in the Western Cape,’ says Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape minister of health and wellness. ‘This is why we are pushing ahead with these initiatives as we cannot sit back and wait for this issue to be resolved.’
The aim of the Rural PHC hybrid inverter initiative is to ensure uninterrupted health services by keeping crucial technology and equipment functional. This includes:
- IT equipment for dispensing medicine and handling patient information
- Fridges for vaccines and medicine storage
- Ventilation equipment at TB facilities
- Consultation instrumentation
- Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows our facilities to be contactable
Three of the 51 chosen clinics have already received hybrid inverters during the first phase of installations, for which the department has budgeted R35 million. Phase two will comprise 70 rural facilities.
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