The health sector will be sorely tested once interruption to the supply of bulk electricity becomes a reality.
The DA has written to Mpumalanga Health MEC, Mr Gillion Mashego, urging him to ensure that patients do not suffer during the interruption.
The party urged Mr Mashego to make the people’s right to life his number one priority and in doing so ensure that all affected health care facilities have functioning and reliable generators should the lights go off.
According to them, they received numerous reports in 2015 from health care facilities across the province of generators that were not working and patients suffering as a result of power cuts.
Secondary infection became a common problem during the load shedding in this period due to rising temperatures in the theatre attributed to non-functioning air-conditioners.
The party emphasised that looming power cuts must not bring a repeat of 2015 to the thousands of people who depend on public health care facilities.
They said the situation will be monitored to ensure that it is not the people of Mpumalanga who pay the price for the ANC’s financial mismanagement.
The nitty-gritty furthermore of managing a pharmacy with frequent power interruptions will be uphill work.
Mr Ferdie Weyers of Maximed Pharmacies from necessity had to install a generator and get the necessary wiring done.
The South African Pharmacy Council regulates the monitoring of fridges and sometimes crucial content in the fridges such as vaccines, biological products and insulin is of concern.
According to Mr Weyers, thousands of rands were lost last December due to power outages.
The pressure on the health sector seems to be increasing.
