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The National Health Department spent R685 million on diesel to keep the lights on at state health institutions countrywide.
Replying to questions by the Freedom Front Plus, the Health Minister, Dr Joe Paahla, said this was for the period 1 April 2022 to 28 February 2023.
According to the Minister's reply, the Eastern Cape Health Department shelled out over R81 million during this time on diesel for provincial state hospitals, taking up 65% of the provincial department's adjusted budget.
KZN spent the most during this period, at more than R178 million.
Freedom Front Plus MP, Phillip van Staden, said they were "shocked" at the staggering amounts spent on Diesel to keep the lights on at state hospitals during load shedding.
He said state hospitals are already sitting with a backlog of 175 000 medical procedures as well as medico-legal claims of around R125 billion.
Van Stadens says these factors alone are an indication that now is not the right time to send the National Health Insurance Bill to the National Assembly for approval.
He says the Bill should be placed on ice until the public health sector is stablised and functioning effectively.
Van Staden says a mere 76 hospitals out of a total of 213 have also been exempted from load shedding, warning that the situation will worsen as Winter approaches.
