The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has confirmed that most of the provincial health-care services will remain operational despite severe weather conditions continuing to affect parts of the province, with patients remaining safe and receiving care.
It warned of service delays across its facilities and urged communities to remain patient, as health-care teams worked under challenging conditions to maintain person-centred care, it said on Monday.
Power outages disrupt some facilities
The primary impact of the current weather was related to power-supply interruptions in some areas. All clinics in the Breede Valley area and certain parts of the Cape Winelands have been closed after patients were treated, to ensure the safety of staff and patients. Contingency measures, including generators and patient transfers where necessary, were in place to ensure continuity of essential services.
Hospitals and clinics in the Overberg, West Coast, Cape Metro, Garden Route, and Central Karoo continued to function under contingency arrangements.
Hospital transfers underway
Where infrastructure had been damaged by strong winds, emergency cases, including paediatric and theatre patients at Caledon Hospital, were being safely accommodated through established referral and transfer systems to Hermanus Hospital, with the support of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the department said.
Mitchells Plain Hospital had been affected by a power outage. Essential services were being maintained; however, patients requiring specialist health care would be diverted and transferred to Khayelitsha District Hospital until power had been restored.
In the West Coast District, unsafe road conditions resulted in the temporary closure of Redelinghuys Clinic and the suspension of the Piketberg Bo-berg mobile service.
Mobile outreach suspended
Mobile health-care outreach services have been suspended in high-risk areas across the province as a precaution due to unsafe travel conditions. These services would be rescheduled once conditions improve, the department said.
Emergency Medical Services were managing a high volume of operational responses related to weather-related incidents, with the current focus on emergency response and maintaining service continuity.
Advice for the public
The department said it continued to monitor the situation closely and urged the public to exercise caution, follow official communication channels and delay non-urgent health-care visits where travel conditions were unsafe.
For medical emergencies call 10177.
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