NGO Lambano Sanctuary in Germiston on the East Rand, which offers palliative care to young children, has had to scramble around to keep their life saving machines on. The recent wave of countrywide load shedding has left many powerless.
Lambano is a sanctuary for those living with life-threatening illnesses. Here they receive palliative care. This is specialised medical and nursing care for those with life-threatening ailments.
Nurse Promise Mutoma says that load shedding negatively impacts the process through which patients are fed.
“The rate of flow of their feeds is supposed to be slow and we regulate that using these machines. So, if we don’t have electricity, we have to physically sit down and use alternatives which are not recommended. Some of the patients start to vomit or have other problems.”
One of the babies at the sanctuary is on intravenous medication which runs off power.
Mutoma says,“If there is no electricity, it becomes a challenge because we need to use these pumps especially with children because they are able to control the rate of flow of fluids into their bodies. Otherwise, if we don’t have a system to control, it gives a high risk for fluids to go fast into babies and can cause serious medical implications.”
With every blackout, caregivers exhaust every possibility in ensuring solid healthcare. Eskom’s load shedding has had diverse implications for the country, affecting industry, consumers and now threatening the lives of the innocent.
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