A new survey has revealed the damaging effects load-shedding has inflicted on the medical profession with 86% of healthcare practitioners saying it is posing a significant threat to patient safety and 75% saying it is impacting their mental wellbeing.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) survey of more than 660 doctors across South Africa paints a stark picture of the impact the ongoing energy crisis is still having on the healthcare system with respondents raising concerns about delayed tests, surgeries and prescriptions, failing or unreliable systems, machinery and phones lines, and treating patients in the darkness when inverters or generators fail. Some also feel extremely vulnerable as their alarm systems and electronic safety gates fail during power outages.
One doctor said load-shedding creates “perpetual anxiety” when caring for patients, and many (63%) said the financial implications of load-shedding at their place of work, due to funding of inverters or generators and other equipment, are serious.
Nearly 80% believe the government could do more to prevent all healthcare facilities from being impacted by load-shedding, and of those doctors who are considering leaving South Africa to practice in another country, 90% cited load-shedding as an influence for their decision.
MPS, which protects the professional interests of over 300,000 healthcare professionals around the world, including more than 30,000 in South Africa, said more needs to be done so healthcare practitioners can focus on treating patients without worrying about the safety and financial impacts of load-shedding.
Dr Volker Hitzeroth, Medicolegal Consultant at MPS, said: “Power outages are challenging enough for any South African business or household, but for healthcare practitioners – who have to care for patients – the challenges are compounded.
“The effect of not being able to provide safe patient care on a doctor’s mental wellbeing cannot be overstated. When patient safety is at risk, doctors also feel vulnerable to complaints, regulatory investigations, claims in clinical negligence and even criminal charges.
“This pressure, in addition to the financial burden placed on healthcare facilities to function sufficiently during power outages is clearly taking its toll and may be tipping the balance for those who are already struggling to cope due to many other challenges doctors face daily.
“When mental wellbeing is poor, it is worrying for the individual practitioner, but can also jeopardise patient care.
“At MPS our focus remains on advising our members on steps which may help to prevent foreseeable risks and problems due to load-shedding, and providing a 24/7 independent counselling service as a benefit of membership for those who need support.
“However, with load-shedding predicted to continue well into 2024 at the very least, more needs to be done to enable healthcare practitioners to focus on treating patients without worrying about the safety, medicolegal and financial implications of load-shedding.
“If the damaging effects of load-shedding on healthcare facilities are not properly addressed, I fear South Africa may face an exodus of healthcare practitioners at a time when we can ill afford it.”
Doctors who participated in the MPS survey commented anonymously:
“Load-shedding creates a perpetual anxiety when caring for patients.”
“I am always scared that the medical machinery will fail you due to load-shedding.”
“There is no x-ray facility during load-shedding, no computer access to check test results. At times the generator packs up and you have to sit in darkness and treat patients.”
“Our practice runs on EMR and is paperless. The cost of running backup generators increases the pressure on us to make a decent turnover. When the system fails I cannot access patient files or generate scripts which hinders work flow. We also cannot do any procedures or access images such as x-rays. It makes me feel like I am failing my patients.”
“Load-shedding impacted my electrical supply and equipment I could use. In our area when there is load-shedding there is also no water, can’t flush toilets, wash equipment, wash hands. At times no signal, still a problem affecting my phone lines, frustrating. I had to spend a huge amount on a generator, then inverter, back up water tank and water pump working on solar during a gastro epidemic to just be able to breathe.”
“Load-shedding is costing everybody money in a time where the price of everything is going up.”
“This is a national disaster that is crippling a broken economy. Patients are rebooked every day. You work under pressure.”
“Load-shedding impacts mental health because of how it affects us outside the workplace as well as inside it. Driving is a lot less safe and road rage and accidents are on the increase. That sense of frustration and impatience with current national infrastructure can't be left behind when you enter the workplace, it spills over, and that, combined with staffing shortages and difficult bosses, makes people increasingly short tempered and communication and thus patient safety suffers.”
“The government can do better in preventing load-shedding. Even if we use a generator it does not supply everything so with anaesthetic machines, we have issues with low air pressure during load-shedding which is dangerous to the patient and can cause fear and uncertainty.”
ENDS
Notes
Key findings
- 75% of doctors said that load-shedding’s impact on the healthcare system is affecting their mental wellbeing
- 86% said load-shedding is a significant threat to patient safety
- 63% said load-shedding has had serious financial implications at their place of work
- 77% said the government could do more to prevent all healthcare facilities from being impacted by load-shedding
- 90% of doctors considering leaving South Africa to practice elsewhere cited load-shedding as an influence for their decision
- 78% of doctors considering retiring early cited load-shedding as an influence for their decision.
About MPS
The Medical Protection Society Limited (“MPS”) is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. Membership provides access to expert advice and support and can also provide, depending on the type of membership required, the right to request indemnity for any complaints or claims arising from professional practice.
Our in-house experts assist with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that arise from professional practice. This can include clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests and fatal accident inquiries.
Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. We do this by promoting risk management through our workshops, E-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures and presentations.
MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.