Charlotte Maxeke Hospital referring patients elsewhere to reduce operation waiting times

The Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg is starting to refer patients to other hospitals for operations.

“The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic hospital (CMJAH) is now referring less complicated medical cases to district hospitals such as Edenvale‚ Bertha Gxowa‚ Tambo Memorial and South Rand hospitals amongst others‚ as part of measures to reduce the number of patients on the waiting list to undergo operations‚” departmental spokesperson Lesemang Matuka said on Wednesday.

“The medical personnel at the district hospitals are assisted by specialists from CMJAH‚ which also utilises this arrangement to transfer critical surgical skills to the medical officers working in district hospitals.”

Here are the district hospitals that have been authorised to perform operations:

• Bertha Gxowa Hospital: Foot and ankle surgery‚ breast‚ appendicectomy‚ lumps and bumps‚ haemorrhoidectomy‚ drainage of minor abscesses and benign gynaecological operations;
• Edenvale Hospital: Hernia surgery and closure of colostomy;
• Far East Rand Hospital: Colonoscopy‚ colorectal surgery and wound management;
• Leratong Hospital: Upper gastro intestinal tract (GIT)‚ endocrine‚ sarcoma‚ trauma and burn care;
• Pholosong Hospital: Hernia and breast;
• South Rand Hospital: Diagnostic GIT endoscopy‚ hernia‚ drainage of abscesses‚ appendicectomy and benign gynaecological operations; and
• Tambo Memorial Hospital: Hepato pancreato biliary (HPB)‚ GIT Endoscopy‚ trauma and acute care surgery.

The department said patients had to wait a long time for operations‚ because emergency cases enjoyed first priority‚ a high number of acute trauma cases‚ limited theatre capacity and ICU beds.

The department also confirmed a klebsiella pneumonia outbreak at the Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Vosloorus on Wednesday.

Head of Department Professor Mkhululi Lukhele said seven cases were identified at the hospital’s neonatal unit in July 2018 which led to the deaths of two babies.

“Samples were taken and have been sent to the laboratory to establish the source of the outbreak‚” Lukhele said.

“Thelle Mogoerane Hospital like many other health facilities in the province is faced with the challenge of ever increasing demand for services. The 61-bedded neonatal unit often admits close to 90 patients.”

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