Ramokgopa, after his visit to the hospital on Saturday morning, is expected to provide an update on how his department will address the load shedding crisis in healthcare facilities.
FILE: Ramokgopa said his department and the health sector want to explore technical solutions that could assist the Health Department in navigating the electricity crisis. Picture: @GovernmentZA/Twitter
JOHANNESBURG – Minister of Electricity Kgosientso Ramokgopa will be visiting the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital on Saturday morning.
He plans to address the impact of load shedding on healthcare facilities countrywide and is set to discuss the issue with the Gauteng Department of Health.
Earlier in May, the high court ruled that hospitals, schools and police stations should be exempt from load shedding – a ruling that government, through Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, is now appealing.
Ramokgopa said his department and the health sector want to explore technical solutions that could assist the Health Department in navigating the electricity crisis.
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But Build One South Africa, which launched the court application with 18 other applicants, believes the solutions are already there.
The organisation’s Mmusi Maimane urged Ramokgopa to use his newly assigned executive powers to address load shedding.
“Given his new powers, he must oppose actions that Pravin Gordhan is suggesting that to take healthcare facilities out of the grid would, in fact, exacerbate and create a situation where we will have a grid collapse. He must make sure that those facilities are taken off and let’s comply with the court order.”
Ramokgopa is expected to provide an update on how his department will address the load shedding crisis in healthcare facilities, after his visit to the hospital on Saturday.
Tomorrow we are at Baragwanath Hospital together with MEC Nomantu Ralehoko-Nkomo. The purpose of the visit is to engage with the Gauteng Dept of Health and the Baragwanath Hospital Management on the impact of load-shedding on the operations of the hospital & its back-up supply. pic.twitter.com/5ccuc9t0gF
‘ Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa (@Kgosientsho_R) May 26, 2023
