Note to Editors: Attached please find a soundbite in English here by Madeleine Hicklin MPL.
A three-year-old patient has been waiting 30 months for a hernia operation to take place at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH). This is one of many cases reflecting a widening crisis of delayed care at this hospital, where patients are left in prolonged pain and uncertainty while essential treatment is delayed.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will table follow-up questions to Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko to ascertain why her recommendations for establishing a dedicated emergency paediatric surgical theatre list, along with dedicated anaesthetic and nursing support, have not been implemented.
The concerning situation at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital was revealed in a written reply to a DA question posed to the Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL). The response further shows that 217 paediatric patients are currently awaiting a range of surgical procedures at the hospital. The delay is attributed to factors including limited elective paediatric theatre capacity, emergency and neonatal surgical demand, anaesthetic constraints, and shortages of subspecialist expertise, among others.
See full reply here.
While these explanations may be plausible, it is difficult to accept that a child should be left for almost three years with a condition that could become critical or life-threatening.
If a hernia becomes incarcerated, part of the intestine can become trapped, causing severe pain and obstruction. If it becomes strangulated, blood flow is cut off, and the tissue dies. Without urgent surgery, this can lead to perforation, sepsis, and death.
Patient neglect due to delays is, unfortunately, a common issue in Gauteng hospitals.
A patient at Tambo Memorial Hospital has been waiting for over a year for hip surgery and is confined to her home due to severe pain. This follows the hospital’s failure to secure a referral pathway for her and other patients awaiting elective surgery, while renovations at the facility continue.
The DA condemns the neglect of essential surgical care and calls for urgent intervention and accountability to relieve the suffering of patients across Gauteng hospitals.
The DA is the only party that recognises the urgent need to prioritise emergency and critical surgical care.
A DA-led Gauteng will ensure that urgent and emergency cases, particularly paediatric patients, are prioritised, reduce the cancellation of elective surgeries and improve operating theatre efficiency. This will cut unacceptable waiting lists and address the growing surgical backlog.