Johannesburg - The DA in Gauteng says it is dismayed over the increasing number of surgical procedures that are being cancelled at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH).
The party says that since the start of 2022, at least 2 218 operations have been cancelled or deferred by the hospital that was damaged by a fire in 2021.
DA Health spokesperson Jack Bloom said the information was revealed to him by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
The news of the cancellations comes after the hospital, through a R60 million Gift of the Givers donation, unveiled a state-of-the art storage facility some 25 months after a fire broke out in the hospital’s dispensary storage room, destroying stored medical goods and protective equipment worth R40 million.
Bloom said a variety of reasons were given for the cancellations. He said some were because of a lack of ICU/high care beds, low medical air pressure, an inadequate supply of equipment and consumables, human resource shortages, deferrals for emergencies, a lack of funds, load shedding and industrial action.
“There are also patient-related factors, like the patient’s condition, the fact that the patient did not fast, an invalid consent form, refused treatment, did not come, or (the patient) died before the operation,” Bloom said.
He said the MEC’s claim that only 1.3% of the cancellations could have been avoided by better management, was was doubtful.
“I get many complaints about surgeries being cancelled because there are no ICU beds, equipment isn’t working or there is no clean linen. Patients are hugely distressed when operations are cancelled for avoidable reasons. It adds to the more than 2 500 patients on surgery lists at CMJH, some of whom have been waiting for years,” Bloom said.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said remedial measures included extra training, decentralisation and strengthening of supply chain management to ensure dependable clinical support.
Bloom said he was disappointed by the lack of urgency in remedying the situation.
“I am disappointed that more ICU beds are not planned, as this is a major cause of long waiting lists for the more complicated operations. More needs to be done to ensure that surgery at this hospital runs smoothly, with minimal disruptions,” he said.
Attempts to get comment from the Gauteng Department of Health were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
The Star