Baragwanath hospital to increase number of elective surgeries

Gauteng acting health MEC Jacob Mamabolo announced on Sunday that the number of elective surgeries at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, will be gradually increased.

This after the health department cancelled elective surgeries at the start of the national lockdown in March.

Mamabolo said Baragwanath hospital, together with the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital, has started carrying out elective surgeries.

"Depending on the development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the facilities will be gradually increasing the number of surgeries, especially elective cases.”

He said in the last two weeks, 517 surgeries had been performed.

The total number of elective cases that were deferred at Baragwanath hospital was 7,541.

“Given the alert level that we are moving into, it becomes important that across our facilities we gradually resume those services that were negatively impacted at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Other facilities will also be catching up on elective surgeries,” Mamabolo said.