Long waiting times for child ops at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital

Children needing surgery at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital will wait between six months and two years for surgery in some cases.

This is according to Gauteng health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi, responding to a question in the provincial legislature.

She revealed the largest waiting list was for orthopaedics, with 833 patients who can wait up to two years for surgery.

Orthopaedics focus on ailments in the musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves which work to allow the body to move.

Last year 785 operations were cancelled at the hospital, adding to the 2,677-strong patient waiting list.

Mokgethi said 453 child patients will wait for paediatric surgery and 610 patients had cancelled operations. The other cancellations were as follows:

• 80 cardiothoracic (chest organs, like the heart and lungs) operations; 
• 40 gastrointestinal (digestive system) operations;
• 25 breast clinic, endocrine (glands releasing hormones) and soft-tissue operations;  
• 20 neurosurgery (nervous system, including the brain) operations; and
• 10 ear, nose and throat operations.

There are 200 cataract patients who will wait between six and eight months for surgery, 137 neurosurgery patients will wait for six months, and 109 urology (urinary-tract system) patients will wait between four and six months.

Mokgethi was responding to DA Gauteng shadow health MEC MPL Jack Bloom, who said these numbers didn't show the full extent of the issue.

“I think these figures underestimate the true situation as it leaves out the long waiting periods for many patients to be diagnosed by a specialist before they are placed on the waiting lists for surgery,” he said.

“Insufficient theatre time and the shortage of ICU beds are the major reasons for the cancellation of operations. 

“Disruption from Covid-19 and the partial closure of the hospital due to the fire in April last year are other factors. 

“It’s particularly upsetting that many children suffer from the surgery delays. This highlights the need to fully reopen the hospital as soon as possible, and to expend the operating theatre and ICU capacity to drastically cut the surgery waiting lists.”

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