No airconditioning at Steve Biko hospital as boilers break
The department is expecting the third boiler to be in line within the next couple of days.
Boilers at the Steve Biko academic hospital are not working, according to the Gauteng health department.
Boilers produce steam used in air conditioning, cooking, boiling water, pressure boiling and refrigeration amongst other services.
One boiler has been undergoing repairs and is expected to return to service next month while the second “collapsed on April 17 and is now off-line pending repair”, said Tshepo Shawa, a spokesperson for the health MEC.
The department expected the third boiler to be functional soon so that service delivery can return to normal.
Shawa said the hospital supplies steam power to several health facilities within the complex.
Steam-dependent facilities include the Tshwane district hospital and the Pretoria oral and dental hospital as well as Tshwane rehabilitation centre, Pretoria forensic pathology mortuary, Tshwane district health crisis centre, Pretoria hospital school and SG Lourens nursing school.
Two of the boilers are coal-powered while the third is a hybrid, powered by gas, petrol and diesel. They are used interchangeably.
The department said it was giving urgent attention to the restoration of steam power.
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