POWER CRISIS GRIPS BARA HOSPITAL

A power crisis grips the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital as operations are cancelled and emergency measures are taken to redirect electricity from the nurses residence to the rest of the hospital during the day.

Surgery has been disrupted for more than a week, and is mostly restricted to emergencies.

Gas supply to the theatres has been affected, with alarms going off as gas pipeline pressures go down.

Other delays are experienced because blood test results can't be accessed when the computers are off-line.

There is a clean linen shortage because the power shortage has hit the hospital laundry as well.

We are seeing the results of poor planning and mismanagement as it seems that adequate power provision was not made for the new building at the hospital.

Poor maintenance is also a major part of the problem.

The cold weather has precipitated this crisis but there were early warning signs as the hospital suffered five power cuts in the first five months of this year.

When I raised this issue in the Gauteng Legislature, Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe said it was due to "technical issues".

This head in the sand attitude cannot go on.

We need urgent interim solutions as patients and staff are suffering.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom, MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, July 7 2011

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