The man heading the health department in Gauteng says they were already addressing the cancer treatment backlog in the province through outsourcing it to private oncology services.
Gauteng health departmental head Lesiba Malotana told TimesLIVE Premium that “bigger issues” of getting cancer patients treated and addressing backlogs are being attended to with the awarding of contracts for the outsourcing of radiation oncology services.
Gauteng has a growing backlog in surgical and radiation oncology services and delays in the awarding of a crucial cancer tender has lead to a court battle with civil society cancer advocacy group Cancer Alliance South Africa.
Malotana, who took over in June as the department's head of department, said two parts of a three-part bigger cancer treatment tender in the province have now been awarded.
He told the TimesLIVE Premium that getting cancer treatment sorted out was a “very personal matter” for him as he lost both his mother and grandmother to cancer in 2021 and 2022.
“I'm personally invested on this matter, it's a personal issue for me. I will not play around with it,” he said.
He said work was already under way in building underground bunkers in two provincial academic hospitals and that cancer treatment was being outsourced, since last month, to deal with backlogs.
“We have procured and busy installing bunkers at George Mukhari and Bara, those bunkers are going to deal with radiation oncology. From a capital investment, we've done a lot but also on the tender that we have issued, and we've been able to award two parts of it with only one is not awarded,” he said.
The three tenders related to treatment planning, radiation oncology services and patient planning, Malotana said.
“There were three tenders, one was on treatment planning which means you assess the cancer, where it is and decided how many doses per month or per week a person would require to deal with that cancer. The contract was awarded to Siemens,” he said.
He said treatment planning was now being rolled out at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Tshwane and the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
“The second one is around the outsourcing, we went on the market and as we know we have a backlog of patients, we thought let's get oncologists that can see some of our patients for the next two years while the machines are being procured,” Malotana said.
He said as construction work was already under way at George Mukhari Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa, northwest of Pretoria, and at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, private oncologists will be seeing cancer patients.
Construction was expected to be completed in October next year, Malotana said.
“Cancer machines are complex. It's not plug and play; they must dig and install bunkers because of radiation,” he said.
Malotana said four companies had been awarded contracts [for the outsourcing of radiation oncology services]: Busamed, Clinix, Life Group, Dr SJ Fourie and Partners, while more others would be added.
The oncology services covered in the contract included technical treatment, specialists oncology and radiation planning for breast and prostate cancer.
TimesLIVE Premium has seen four appointment award letters and contracts which were issued two months ago, in the second week of October with treatments starting last month to Busamed, Life Group and ONCAI Solutions for radiation treatment and planning.
Malotana admitted that the delays in the awarding of the contracts did set the department back, however stated that they have now dealt with “bigger issues” in ensuring that cancer patients get treatment.
“They [appointed service providers] are already starting to see patients to deal with the backlog. The one [part of tender] that we did not award deals about patient planning, and for that we've gone back on the market.
“That is not the biggest issue, the biggest issue is people that have cancer being seen and getting treated,” he said.
Malotana said initially the delays were caused by the department's budget constraints and later caused by having to go back on tender after the Cancer Alliance challenged the initial supply chain process as it was sealed mid-December two years ago.
“Having to put this on tender again after the impasse with the Cancer Alliance created further delays,” he said.
On the R250m of a special allocation awarded to the province to deal with cancer treatment costs but not spent, Malotana said: “The R250m was not ours ... because there was a procurement process delay that money could not be used in anything else. It's not like the money was there and has been lost.
“Some people comment when they don't understand how government works. Government is a bureaucratic system. If money is meant for something, it can only be used for that.”
Malotana said what the alliance is fighting for in court has already happened.
“If the court order was given two years ago, it would make sense. It's now two years later, events have happened. What's happening today, cancer patients are being seen,” he said.
“We have also launched new cancer machines at Charlotte and Steve Biko this year so regarding capacity and investing, we cannot be accused [of not doing anything].
“We know we have a backlog and that we need to invest in machinery. Ideally, there should be four centres that focus on cancer. We've now taken Bara and partnered it with Charlotte and done the same with George Mukhari and Steve Biko because Charlotte and Steve Biko are more advanced in dealing with cancer treatment,” he said.
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