The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has introduced a series of measures to ensure patients from the Central Karoo continue receiving specialist healthcare despite severe weather damage that has disrupted key transport routes.

The interventions follow extensive infrastructure damage caused by storms in May, which forced the closure of major routes linking the Central Karoo and Garden Route districts, including Meiringspoort and the Uniondale Pass.

Non-emergency patient transport disrupted

The damaged roads have affected HealthNET, the department’s non-emergency patient transport service, which transports patients to the George Regional Hospital for specialist appointments and procedures.

To minimise disruptions, HealthNET has begun using alternative routes to George where possible, despite considerably longer travel times. In cases where appropriate, patients are instead being referred to the Worcester Hospital for specialist care.

HealthNET forms a key part of the province’s healthcare system by transporting patients who cannot use public transport for medical reasons to specialist outpatient appointments, regional and tertiary hospitals, and other specialised healthcare services.

Additional funding has also been allocated to emergency medical services (EMS) in the Garden Route District to help manage increased operational demands resulting from the road closures.

Minister visits region to assess conditions

During a visit to George this week, Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness Mireille Wenger met with health and EMS teams to assess the impact of the severe weather on healthcare services and the measures being implemented.

“Our EMS teams served communities with courage and exceptional dedication during the severe weather events, conducting multiple search and rescue operations while continuing to deliver critical services under challenging circumstances,” Wenger said.

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She added that while the province was dealing with an estimated R9 billion in infrastructure damage, efforts were underway to protect healthcare access for affected communities.

“As the province responds to an estimated R9 billion in infrastructure damage, we are also working to address the impact that damaged road networks have had on healthcare access. The closure of key routes such as Meiringspoort and the Uniondale Pass has affected our ability to transport Central Karoo patients to George Regional Hospital for specialist services, but we are implementing practical solutions to ensure patients continue receiving the care they need.”

Restoring damaged infrastructure a priority

Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers said restoring damaged transport infrastructure remained one of the provincial government’s top priorities.

“Our teams are working tirelessly with engineers and contractors to assess and repair damaged infrastructure as quickly and safely as possible. Meiringspoort is a strategic route and its restoration is critical, but it was severely damaged and technical assessments and eventual repair work will take time,” he said.

Simmers added that the department recognised the importance of reopening affected routes as soon as possible.

“The Department of Infrastructure does, however, appreciate the importance of this route and we are doing everything we can to speed up recovery operations. It is, however, also important to be reminded that this route is not the only route affected.

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“We are working with our in-house as well as specialist external teams to get all routes open. We ask residents to please be patient, obey road signs and use alternative routes.”

Wenger also appealed to patients and their families to remain patient while damaged roads are repaired.

“We understand that longer travel times and changes to transport arrangements may be frustrating and inconvenient for patients who already have to manage the stress of medical appointments and treatment. We ask residents to please work with us during this period as our teams do everything possible to protect access to care. These measures are temporary, but they are necessary to ensure that patients continue receiving the specialist services they need.”

She thanked healthcare workers and patients for adapting to the temporary arrangements.

“These disruptions have required significant adjustments from our teams and from patients themselves. I would like to thank everyone involved for their flexibility, professionalism and dedication. Our focus remains on ensuring that patients continue to receive safe, reliable access to healthcare services.”