The Department of Health in Gauteng has blamed incessant rolling blackouts for the shortage of diesel in public hospitals and clinics.
It has emerged that some public hospitals and clinics are running out of diesel due to the increased demand for fuel during load shedding. Motalatale Modiba, spokesperson for the Department of Health in Gauteng, says the problem is not a matter of poor planning by the department.
“The current situation that is confronting us nationally is unprecedented and I think it was bound to happen that at some point. If you look at the availability of even diesel itself, the supply becomes an issue because the demand is higher. I think under the circumstances, if you look at the fact that we’ve got almost 300 clinics and about 37 hospitals and you look into the percentage in terms of those that would have been affected at this particular period, I think we’ve tried our level best to manage the situation as best as we can, to be able to sustain services.”
Meanwhile, ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the new Eskom CEO must prioritise ending rolling blackouts. He was addressing the special conference of the National Union of Mineworkers in Ekurhuleni.
Mashatile speaks to the media after his address:
