The CEOs of the Western Cape's three academic hospitals have warned that, because of severe funding cuts, they could run out of cash by 15 January.

A national budget shortfall of at least R570-million has forced the Western Cape's three tertiary hospitals to make critical and potentially catastrophic service delivery cuts to avoid a medical Day Zero by 15 January.

To make up for the shortfall, Groote Schuur Hospital, Tygerberg Hospital and the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital decided at high-level management meetings to de-escalate their services from mid-December to mid-January.

In addition, several other savings need to be made within a short time. This includes saving 50% on consumables, not filling posts and reducing surgical procedures.

The public sector wage increase, as agreed to by the national government, has not been funded, which has a substantial impact on the money hospitals receive from the government. The total wage shortfall for all the health departments across SA's nine provinces is R8.7-billion.

The shortfall for Tygerberg Hospital is R275-million, for Groote Schuur Hospital R264-million and for the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital R31-million.

The three CEOs of these hospitals sent a memorandum to departmental heads stating, "Unfortunately, if we continue to function as we have over the past six months, our cash flow will run out by mid-January (our Day Zero).

"The implication of this...