POWER DISASTER AT MATERNITY HOSPITAL

Staff are struggling today to keep babies alive at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in west Johannesburg after electricity failed in the area at 8am this morning.

The emergency generators have been unreliable, cutting out at times, so babies are being ventilated manually.

Ambulances are taking the most vulnerable babies to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, and to the Natalspruit and Tambo Memorial hospitals on the east rand.

Mothers requiring caesarean operations are being transferred out.

This is an extremely stressful situation for everyone at the hospital.

Yet again, generators have proven to be defective, despite assurances that back-up power would always be available at hospitals.

It follows a several power failures this year at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital where generators have also not always kicked in.

The Gauteng Infrastructure Development Department is to blame, and must take urgent action to ensure that hospitals have reliable power at all times.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, March 5 2014

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter