Starting over two weeks ago, strong and persistent advocacy for load shedding exemptions for hospitals resulted in a week of assessment of its impact on healthcare and then, last Friday, in an announcement from the Minister of Health that over 30 public hospitals would in fact be protected.
Here is the Minister’s full announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFMOI5l5xtY.
Admittedly, the first tranche of exemptions is a drop in the ocean, but it is a very welcome and beneficial drop. Since Friday, calls have grown for all hospitals to be exempted from load shedding. The Hospital Association of South Africa has been at the front of those calls. Here is a selection of its coverage on the matter:
The HASA message was also carried by Kfm and SmileFM, both in the Western Cape.