Load Shedding Continues to Impact Healthcare and Chronic Medications in South Africa

In South Africa, the persistent issue of load shedding continues to have profound effects on both private and public healthcare systems, raising concerns for patients, medical facilities, and healthcare professionals. The impact of load shedding on healthcare infrastructure and services has exacerbated existing challenges, leading to compromised patient care and significant consequences.

While new regulations have granted larger public hospitals exemptions from load shedding, Eskom, the state-owned electricity utility, has warned that isolating and excluding most healthcare facilities from power outages would be technically unfeasible. As a result, hospitals and clinics face strains on their infrastructure, exacerbating existing shortages and further compromising the quality of patient care.

Dr. Morgan Mkhatshwa, Clinical Executive of Bonitas Medical Fund, emphasizes that the prolonged or frequent loss of basic services, including electricity, has shown to have financial, psychological, and physical implications. The importance of private healthcare has been underscored during the Covid-19 pandemic, where access to well-equipped private hospitals with backup power sources has become crucial.

Dr. Mkhatshwa emphasizes the efforts made by medical aids to ensure other essential healthcare services remain available at optimal levels and of the highest quality. Through negotiation of favorable rates, medical aids strive to minimize co-payments for members and maintain a network of hospitals and clinicians with effective contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted patient care through backup power generation.

One critical aspect affected by load shedding is the provision of pharmaceuticals, particularly vaccines, insulin, and temperature-sensitive antibiotics that require strict refrigeration and maintenance of the cold chain. Power outages can compromise the integrity and efficacy of these medications, rendering them ineffective or potentially harmful. This not only poses risks to patient health but also results in financial losses as compromised medications and vaccines may need to be discarded due to compromised storage conditions.

To address this issue, Bonitas Medical Fund proactively works with its Designated Service Providers to develop contingency plans, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of medications for its members. These plans include the use of generators and backups, double dispensing of medication to guarantee continuous availability of chronic medications, and the development of communication tools to inform and educate members about medication supply.

While secondary- and tertiary-level public hospitals, as well as private facilities, seem to be equipped with generator banks, smaller healthcare facilities such as primary healthcare clinics often bear the brunt of power outages. Dr. Mkhatshwa highlights that the cost of alternative power sources can be substantial, with a private hospital group reporting an average monthly expenditure of R800k to run its generators. This situation not only proves to be unsustainable but also poses a risk to the healthcare of citizens, with the most vulnerable individuals being the most affected.

As load shedding persists, the healthcare sector in South Africa faces ongoing challenges in maintaining consistent and reliable services. Efforts are being made to mitigate the impact on patient care and medication availability, but a comprehensive and sustainable solution is crucial to ensure the well-being of the population, particularly the most vulnerable members of society.