Johannesburg - With more than 36 000 patients still on various waiting lists for their medical surgeries, the DA has called on the Gauteng Premier and the Health Department to resolve the crisis.
According to Gauteng DA shadow MEC Jack Bloom, more than 36 000 patients are still waiting to be operated on.
“An astounding 36 237 patients are on the waiting lists for operations in Gauteng public hospitals, with a waiting period of five years for some types of surgery,” Bloom said in a statement on Tuesday.
It is reported that Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital remains the hospital which is badly affected by the waiting list, with more than 10 000 patients still waiting to be operated on. Bloom said this was revealed to him by the Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to his questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
“Chris Hani Baragwanath has the largest waiting list – 10 900 patients in total, including 1 777 patients who will wait four years and five months for hip and knee replacements,” he said.
Other hospitals with long waiting lists for surgery include George Mukhari Hospital with 5 979 patients, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital with 3 132 patients, Sebokeng Hospital with 2 977 patients, Mamelodi Hospital with 2 570 patients, Steve Biko Hospital with 1 921 patients, Thelle Mogoerane Hospital with 1 070 patients and Tembisa Hospital with 1 023 patients, among many others.
He said cataract surgeries has the most number of patients on the list, with some patients having waited for more than two years at a time. This is followed by hip surgeries, with a waiting period of two to five years.
“The largest backlogs are in cataract surgery, with more than 10 000 patients who will wait up to two years at the Steve Biko and George Mukhari hospitals, but six months or less at the Tembisa, Kalafong, Pholosong and Mamelodi hospitals.
“The worst waiting times are for hip and knee replacements, which will mostly take from two to five years, although some hospitals do them in less than a year,” Bloom said.
According to the DA, the MEC attributed the crisis to Covid-19, increasing number of foreigners, exodus of skilled personnel and delays in renovation of theatres, as well the crippling effects of load shedding.
The MEC said in an effort to clear the current surgical backlogs, the department has prioritised fast-tracking of critical and advanced surgeries.
“Currently the province has 32 000 patients at public hospitals who are on the waiting list for various procedures, the majority of which are elective surgeries. The waiting period ranges from weeks and months for some procedures like caesarean sections, hernia repairs, cataracts, knee replacements, a year or more for procedures such as hip replacement, urethra structural, knee arthroplasty, implants and up to 10 years for organ transplants,” Nkomo-Ralehoko said.
The MEC said clinicians constantly have to strike a balance between life-saving procedures and elective surgeries.
“We have set in place a programme to address various challenges that have contributed to the growing list of surgical backlogs. Some of the measures are short-term while others will take longer,” she said.
Even though some hospitals have done well to eliminate these waiting lists, Bloom said the issue remains a human tragedy that needs to be eliminated.
“Some hospitals have done well with surgery marathons in reducing the backlogs with Kalafong Hospital having eliminated their cataract backlog by doing 151 cataract surgeries in October last year.
“It’s a vast human tragedy that so many people suffer in pain while waiting for surgery. While Covid 19 was a setback, the huge backlogs are largely due to years of incompetence and corruption,” he said.
Bloom has called on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to recognise this problem as a provincial crisis that requires a plan with adequate resources.
The Star