Hospitals powered up for load shedding
The news paid a visit to hospitals in the area to find out what their plans are when the lights go off in the city.
Visitors and patients at various hospitals in the Krugersdorp area don’t have to panic when load shedding is announced by the power utility Eskom.
In a bid to put our readers at ease the news decided to pay a visit to the state-owned Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital and the Netcare Krugersdorp and Bell Street Hospitals find out what their plans are when the lights go off in the city.
Puseletso Mabidikame, spokesperson for Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital said the hospital has three standby generators, with a capacity of about 9 000 liters each, which will enable the hospitals to operate without any problem.
“It can provide the hospital with power for up to two weeks in case there is no power at all.”
She said it uses up to about 200 liter of fuel every four hours. Readings are taken often to ensure the generators have enough fuel to keep it powered, even during difficult times.
“People won’t even notice a difference during load shedding. The lights will dim slightly for a few seconds before the generators will kick in. Normal day-to-day operations will continue.”
Jacques du Plessis, managing director for the Netcare hospital division reassured patients, saying they recognised years ago the fragility and instability of the ageing national electricity grid could pose a threat in delivering services to their patients.
They have taken every measure necessary to ensure that patients’ care and safety are in no way compromised during load shedding.
Mande Toubkin, who takes care of Netcare’s national incident management team said they have all the necessaty systems, backup equipment and technical service teams in place to ensure minimal disruption in the event of power outages.
“We are thoroughly prepared. Patients can rest assured that power outages in no way will interfere with medical procedures as backup power is available for equipment in all facilities.”
