WATCH | Bhekisisa: Cancer and NHI – will patients see better treatment?

Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital’s radiation waiting list grows longer each year because of too few staff to operate life-saving cancer equipment.

This episode of our monthly television show Health Beat puts these problems to the health department.

Mia Malan asks if the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme can fix the country’s broken health system.

• Almost 3 000 people with prostate, breast, cervical and colon cancer are waiting for radiation treatment at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg. 

• The head of the hospital department said even if they had more radiation equipment, they wouldn’t be able to use them because there’s not even enough staff to operate the number of machines. That’s why they can’t get patients on radiation quickly enough.
• In this episode of our monthly television show Health Beat we visit hospitals with two cancer patients and compare the help which state and private facilities offer. Malan asks an activist and the head of the NHI if the scheme can fix South Africa's broken health system.