CAPE TOWN - Netcare Hospital has lauded Health Minister Joe Phaahla for taking steps to lessen the blow of rolling power cuts on health facilities.
The minister is expected to provide another update soon after national and provincial health bosses finalise an assessment focusing on how power cuts are impacting operations at the country's hospitals and clinics.
Netcare's general manager, Mande Toubkin, has welcomed the initiative but says there could be some stumbling blocks.
"Not many hospitals in South Africa are on seperate greens feeding only the hospital. I think what is the situation
here is that you have hospitals that are on the same ring as the suburb and if you not on your own ring, which means you don't have your own switch on your DB board like in your house, you can't really isolate the facilities."
Toubkin says the rolling power cuts come at a high price.
"The issue here is the cost to healthcare for all of these rolling blackouts and although we are understanding
of the infrastructure problems, you must add on every single day, at least 8 or 10 hours of diesel and diesel is more expensive than electricity."
The utility says adverse sea weather is preventing a vessel from berthing, which is set to offload diesel at Mossel Bay.
