KZN Health MEC answers SAHRC

Embattled KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo has responded to the SA Human Rights Commission's damning report on the shocking state of oncology services in the province.

But the SAHRC won't divulge details of Dhlomo's response. He is facing calls for his removal, pending legal verification.

SAHRC spokesman Gail Smith said while the commission welcomed receiving Dhlomo's response, it was still "extremely concerned about the oncology patients at Addington and Inkosi Albert Luthuli hospitals, still waiting for radiotherapy treatment - some of whom have been waiting to seven months".

The 68-page report, released last month, stated that the department had failed its cancer patients, posed a serious threat to their lives and was denying them their right to life and dignity.

The SAHRC investigation followed a complaint lodged by the DA's Imran Keeka, a member of the provincial legislature, in February last year.

He complained that a dire staffing crisis in oncology specialists and other medical staff, coupled with insufficient and non-functioning oncology machines and delays in treating patients, adversely affected cancer patients and their treatment in the province.

The commission recommended that premier Willies Mchunu investigate Dhlomo's role in the current oncology crisis.

Interviews with patients and staff at affected hospitals revealed that there was an increase in the incidence and prevalence of cancer conditions in KwaZulu-Natal and that, on average, patients waited for about five months before they could be seen by an oncologist, then waited about another eight months for radiotherapy.

This means doctors are unable to detect cancer at an early stage or delay its progression, despite World Health Organisation findings on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

The SAHRC has given Dhlomo until July 28 to submit the additional information it requires.

The department did not respond to requests for comment.

At the time the report was released Keeka said: "We expect denials, obfuscation and failures of accountability, as this is the pattern set in the ANC government."