Health

1.    The Department has a Water Preparedness Plan (WPP) that strives to conserve water, monitor water usage as well as how we can mitigate the effect on service delivery. The WPP has been circulated to staff in November 2017, with regular engagement with managers around it and outlines the Department’s strategy in saving water at its facilities and is three-fold:

• To reduce water consumption at health care facilities
• To be prepared for the possibility of water rationing
• To be prepared for the total loss of municipal water supply

The WPP also outlines various Focus Interventions such as

Behaviour change through:

• • • Surgical scrubs
    • Use of alcohol hand sanitizers
    • Bottle water for drinking
    • Awareness campaign to reduce water consumption
    • Only severely soiled linen to be sent to the laundries
    • No watering of gardens

Engineering interventions

• • • Maintenance reticulation and leak minimisation interventions (eliminate leaks)
    • Shutting off of basin taps (use of hand sanitizers)
    • Installation of low flow sanitary fixtures
    • Installation of waterless urinals
    • Installation of Water Efficient Equipment and Systems
    • Re-use of treated water

 2.  The Health Department has planned and funded a Ground Water Project. In cooperation with the Department of Transport and Public Works, the Project aims at securing ground water at various high risk sites, which have been prioritised for implementation in stages:

• Groundwater programme Part A: 17 sites to have secured ground water by 31 March 2018. As at 5 February 2018, 15 sites have been secured.
• Groundwater programme Part B: 32 sites to have secured ground water by 30 June 2018. As at 15 February 2018, 8 sites have been secured.
• Groundwater programme Part C: 23 primary health care sites

The WPP’s focus interventions includes:

• Use of ground water for large facilities through the Reinstatement of existing boreholes and drilling of New boreholes where required
• Storage tanks for water storage where no ground water is available
• Non potable water for toilet use at facilities
• Engineering work for connection to water reticulation system
• Water treatment technologies
• Procurement of bulk bottled water for use by staff and patients within facilities
• Procurement of bulk hand santizer for use by staff and patients to minimise the risk of spreading disease

 3. The Department is working with the City of Cape Town to try and ensure that hospitals’ water will not be shut down. Scaling down of elective (non-emergency) services may need to be considered, should the water availability have a direct impact on health facilities. A minimum package of care has been agreed upon, should the scenario as outlined above occur.

4. The Department has an ongoing water-saving campaign aimed at staff, patients and visitors which is rolled out to within all health facilities. As part of the WPP, which was issued as a circular as well, internal messaging on water-saving initiatives is regularly communicated to staff and clients.

In addition, the Health response in terms of Major Incidents and Disasters is as per the International MIMMS System [Major Incident Medical Management and Support system]. State Health, Private Healthcare and South African Military Health Services all work to this command system, as it pertains to the health response in such incidents. These Command and Control Centres have representation of all public and private health facilities across the Province. They have already been activated and monitors the situation regularly to provide the necessary guidance and support.