Pretoria - Clinics are feeling the heat of load shedding. They have had to contend with diesel for generators running out and old fridges breaking down after multiple power outages.
DA spokesperson for health in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, said the frequent load shedding was causing a medicine storage crisis at public clinics with staff having to move medicines to working fridges to avoid them spoiling.
Bloom said hundreds of provincial and local government clinics were battling as generators could only provide partial power.
“It is essential that critical clinic services like immunisation for children continue, particularly with the current measles outbreak.
“Fridge replacements should be a priority, along with sufficient diesel supplies and working generators at all clinics.”
Department of Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said although a number of contingency plans had been implemented to mitigate against the impact of load shedding on the provision of health-care services, there were “pockets” in certain metros that were experiencing challenges.
In the City of Tshwane, particularly in sub-districts 5, 6 and 7, there was no medicine storage crisis at public clinics.
The same could be said for the City’s 2 and 3 sub-districts, where Modiba said the only clinic which had been negatively affected for two days was the Kekana Gardens Clinic, in Hammanskraal. This was due to the theft of a transformer, he said.
The matter had since been resolved by installing a temporary transformer. Plans were in place to strengthen security measures to avoid theft.
Some clinics in sub-district 1, namely Kgabo CHC in Mabopane, Jack Hindon Clinic in Pretoria North, Phedisong clinic 4 and 6 in Ga-Rankuwa, and the Soshanguve Clinic in Block X, were not so fortunate.
“Although they are affected, the services haven’t been interrupted and the vaccination programme is continuing as normal. The remaining 14 facilities remain uninterrupted.”
Although Motale stressed that there was no medicine crisis in the Johannesburg districts as generators as all the clinics had generators, the same could not be said for Ekurhuleni.
He said only two clinics in Diepsloot and Kliptown had to move their vaccines to other facilities.
But, according to the department, cold chain management in Ekurhuleni remained a challenge, especially during load shedding as all 29 facilities in the metro had no generators.
The diesel supply to facilities with generators was inconsistent due to constraints experienced by the service providers, he said. This forced some facilities to transport medicine and vaccines to other clinics with power and adequate storage facilities.
Motale said the metro had submitted a request to repair about 144 fridges in the district after 11 fridges had to be replaced.
“About 64 of 93 facilities in the province have back-up generators, however, the 29 facilities that fall under the City of Ekurhuleni do not have generators.
“Currently, there is no plan in place to procure more due to budget challenges in the City”.
Pretoria News