Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is among the several hospitals in Gauteng facing a surgery backlog. Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
Over 10 000 patients at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital are on the waiting list for several much-needed surgeries and 1777 of them could find themselves waiting for hip and knee replacements for more than four years.
This was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who said that 10 900 patients were on the hospital’s surgery waiting list.
Nkomo-Ralehoko’s written response was to questions by DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to the MEC, a staggering 36 237 patients were on the waiting list for operations in the province’s public hospitals, with up to five years of waiting for different types of surgery.
Nkomo-Ralehoko revealed that these patients would wait up to two years for the surgery at the Steve Biko and George Mukhari hospitals. She said the waiting period was six months or less at the Tembisa, Kalafong, Pholosong and Mamelodi hospitals, adding that Chris Hani Baragwanath had the largest waiting list of patients in need of hip and knee replacements.
The MEC cited Covid-19 for the drastic increase in the surgery backlog, which led to the halting of elective procedures. The ongoing power outages had also adversely impacted surgery.
The MEC added that these, coupled with other factors including “the number of foreign nationals in need of healthcare as well as delays in the filling of critical posts”, could see patients wait for up to five years before they received the surgeries.
However, Bloom said that while Covid-19 was a setback, the huge backlogs were largely due to years of incompetence and corruption.
“Premier Panyaza Lesufi should recognise it as a provincial crisis that requires a plan with adequate resources to relieve the medical misery of so many people,” he said.
Similarly, the SA Medical Association has called for the public healthcare system to be declared a state of emergency so that people’s lives could be saved.
READ: Public hospitals battle elective surgery backlogs of over 175 000
This comes after the association recently announced that persistent equipment breakdowns at public hospitals had resulted in elective surgery backlogs of over 175 000 patients.
Other hospitals with long waiting lists for surgery include:
• George Mukhari Academic Hospital – 5979 patients
• Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital – 3132 patients
• Sebokeng Regional Hospital – 2977 patients
• Mamelodi Regional Hospital – 2570 patients
• Steve Biko Academic Hospital – 1921 patients
• Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital – 1070 patients
• Tembisa Hospital – 1023 patients
• Pholosong Hospital – 832 patients
• Tambo Memorial Hospital – 804 patients
• Leratong Hospital – 733 patients
• Far East Rand Hospital – 708 patients
• Kalafong Hospital – 584 patients.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the provincial health department said it was adamant that it had prioritised the fast-tracking of critical and advanced medical procedures.
“The waiting period ranges from weeks and months for some procedures, such as caesarean sections, hernia repairs, cataracts and knee replacements. A year or more for procedures, such as hip replacement, knee arthroplasty and implants, and up to 10 years for organ transplant (this is dependent on donor availability and type of case).”
Nkomo-Ralehoko added: “In terms of addressing load shedding, government is looking at a number of interventions, including exemption of healthcare facilities from load shedding, ensuring that all facilities have well-maintained generators, the security of diesel supply and the installation of rooftop solar.”
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