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The fatal fear of load shedding

Cape Town – Medical patients who depend on machines such as oxygen tanks have expressed concern that load shedding could result in a fatal tragedy.

This comes after a Bloemfontein man, connected to two oxygen machines, died after Eskom implemented load shedding twice in one day last week.

READ: Man dies during load shedding

Fin24 user Hendrik Schutte, from Johannesburg, said he is dependent on home oxygen 24 hours a day and battles when he experiences load shedding for over four hours a day.

“I am extremely fortunate that an acquaintance of a family member donated a small portable oxygen concentrator that belonged to her late husband, when she heard about me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to that kind hearted widow, who had never even met me or my wife previously. If I reduce the oxygen setting, that little rechargeable portable can keep me ‘ticking over’ for about four-and-a-half hours at a time. It takes about four hours to recharge the battery again.

“But whenever I have to resort to that portable machine, I think of all those people less fortunate. Those portable machines cost an absolute arm and a leg, which most pensioners would not be able to afford and medical aids refuse to pay for them.

“I think medical aids view it as a luxury to keep you alive when there is a power failure. The medical aids will not even pay for a small back up oxygen cylinder’s monthly rental.”

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It could be fatal

Fin24 user Sylvia Warrington said load shedding was a very scary thought for her. “I am on oxygen 24/7 due to lung disease,” she said.

“I use a concentrator (that makes oxygen) that uses electricity and I have one medical oxygen cylinder. Thankfully, my oxygen providers are excellent."

She has not yet experienced the full effects of stage 2 load shedding, where power is cut off twice in one day. But she fears for that day.

“Depending on the size of the cylinder (between six to 12 hours) if the cylinder runs empty and the power is not on by that time, it could be fatal.”



Sylvia Warrington, pictured above, sent in these photos of her oxygen concentrator.

Fin24 user D Myeni wrote: “I have kidney failure and I'm dialysing at home, but if there is no electricity I can't warm my dialysing solutions.”

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Too late

Fin24 user Janine Viljoen can’t forgive Eskom for what happened to her mother, who died in 2008.

“My mother of 81 fell down the stairs at my aunt's house when the electricity was cut due to load shedding in April 2008.

“She broke her elbow and never recovered from the operations that she had to undergo.

“She passed away on 2 June 2008. I hate load shedding due to this.”

The elderly suffer

Fin24 user John Brice said he thought old age homes were exempt from load shedding. “I am visiting my grandma in an old age home and they are suffering as a result of load shedding,” he said. “I heard that part of this whole thing is that they don't switch off old age homes or hospitals?”

Fin24 user R.S. Moore said his father-in-law, who is on permanent oxygen due to emphysema, battles to breath without it.

“Every time the power goes out, he is supposed to utilise an oxygen bottle, but the bottle only lasts three hours. After the second load shedding comes around, the bottle is empty.

“He is a state pensioner and outpatient, so he doesn't have medical aid. We have now been informed that there is no oxygen available to replace his empty bottle, so he must not talk or move for the duration of the period that the electricity is off!

“But he is battling and taking strain every time the electricity goes off. Even his skin colour changes during this period.

“Out of desperation we have borrowed an oxygen bottle, but it doesn't last with all the load shedding.

“We can see that he is not coping without his oxygen during load shedding, so we are doing everything in our power to try to get an oxygen bottle where we can.”

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Fin24 user Brigitte Lever’s dad lives in Morningside with acute myeloid leukemia. “He had to move into my house over the weekend because his power was cut for so long that his invertor stopped running his oxygen machine, which he cannot do without.

“Forward planning is 100% key if you need to survive. We are lucky enough to have an invertor and a car to get him from point A to B, but when you are so weak and frail, the shear move can kill you.”

Fin24 user Deanne Kriel said her parents have a small pension and her mother has to pay extra to have a backup oxygen tank for her father. He is dependent on an oxygen concentrator so that he can keep breathing during power cuts.  

“It is very stressful for both of them and she cannot go anywhere if there is a chance of load shedding, because she must be available to help him switch to the backup and ensure that he is breathing ok.”

Fin24 user Lorraine Morris said her father had to buy a back-up battery pack for his CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) machine because of the load shedding.

“My mother is going onto dialysis this coming Tuesday and has opted for the haemodialysis so that she can go to the hospital for dialysis in case of load shedding. We have a generator, but five hours is not strong enough to run the machines.”

Fin24 user Leo said his mom is also using oxygen 24/7. When load shedding takes place they have to put her on cylinders.

“This is not as effective ‎as the electrical one. After such a process, my mom is totally exhausted as she the does not have the strength to even lift herself.  

“To make matters worse, she is only entitled to two cylinders a month as per medical aid rules. She has to pay for any additional cylinders.

“This country has failed the elderly and people with illnesses.”

Fin24 user Daniel Amo said his fiancée suffers with kidney failure and every four hours she has to do peritoneal dialysis.

“When load shedding hits, we have to try and find a power source so that we can heat up a dialysis bag for her. Most of the local petrol stations don’t have microwaves or back-up generators, so I normally have to drive her to my parent’s house in Bellville so that she can do dialysis.

“This causes a massive inconvenience and is costing a lot for myself due to petrol due to the fact that I am currently unemployed.”

Fin24 user Ant Breakey, 49, suffers from end-stage heart failure and has been placed on the heart transplant list.

"Whenever I fall asleep I need to be connected to an Apneoa machine, as I stop breathing 11 times each hour, on average 30 second each time.

"My chances of sudden death due to cardiac arrest, stroke or a heart attack are increased tenfold if I fall asleep without my machine connected.

"On occasion when I have fallen asleep and the electricity has been disconnected, I wake up with excruciating headaches due to the lack of oxygen to my brain.

"I have thought about suing ... Eskom for my medical bills in order to set a precedent and to show them that they are not the invincibles they think they are."

* Do you have any ideas or solutions for these problems? Tell us now.
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