Parts of Weskoppies still without power
The hospital has been facing ongoing shortages since February 15. Only 5% of the facility is still suffering from shortages.
Power supply to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital is said to be improving, according to the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH), after the facility was recently affected by shortages due to damaged cables.
Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said that electricity is being supplied to 95% of the facility, though some wards are still suffering from shortages.
“Only 5% of the facility, which is constituted by various sections such as occupational therapy, forensic services, social work, wards 35 and 37 remain affected. This is because a substation supplying power to these areas had to be isolated so that engineers could locate faults,” Modiba said.
As the shortages began, the ongoing wet weather slowed down the repair work drastically, which has made determining when the work would be completed difficult.
“Contactors are on site; however, the department is unable to ascertain when the repair work will be complete due to the weather conditions.”
Weskoppies has been facing power interruptions since February 15.
The interruptions were caused by a work crew doing maintenance at the hospital recently and the damage went unreported.
A subcontractor replacing tar in the hospital accidentally damaged a newly laid cable without reporting it, leading to power supply interruptions.
The GDoH apologised to the patients and the public for the inconvenience.
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