Broken air conditioners severely affected the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria. The South-African health center has no choice but to halt its surgeries. 

South Africa's average temperature for the whole year is 17.5 degrees Celsius. But, there are some months when the country experiences 22 degrees Celsius. 

This is not surprising since South Africa is a tropical country. However, extremely hot temperatures can greatly affect hospitals and other establishments that need their ACs. 

Broken Air Conditioners Halted Surgeries at Steve Biko Hospital 

According to News24's latest report, Steve Biko Academic Hospital's spokesperson, Lovey Mogapi, confirmed that their air conditioners broke because of high temperatures. 

(Photo : Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)
A professional healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) pushes a woman on a wheelchair inside a temporary ward dedicated to the treatment of possible COVID-19 coronavirus patients at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria on January 11, 2021.

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"It is true that with the high temperatures, the two functioning chillers are unable to cool the operating theatres such that it is safe from getting infections," she said on Thursday, Oct. 4. 

Because of this, Mogapi said that lots of patients are now waiting for their surgeries and other medical operations to resume. 

The official further explained that the Steve Biko Academic Hospital usually has around 1,000 patients waiting for non-emergency operations and other similar medical needs. 

She stated they categorize patients based on their health complications (if their lives are at risk or not). 

But, since the ACs are down, all patients need to wait for their operations. Of course, this will still depend on the situation, especially if the individual is losing their life. 

As of press time, two air conditioners of the hospital are still unable to function. The Steve Biko Academic Hospital said that they are hoping that these ACs will be fixed on Friday, Oct. 7.  

How to Maintain ACs 

Sol Aircond Service provided some tips on how to maintain air conditioners. These include the following:

• Make sure that the aircon filters are always clean.  
• Clean the AC's condenser coils regularly. 
• Ensure that the room has a microclimate. Check if the windows are exposed directly to sunlight. 
• Always check the refrigerant level of your AC since aircon commonly needs to have its peak cooling performance. 

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Written by Griffin Davis