1433 operations cancelled at Bara hospital

23 May 2018

A total of 1433 operations were deferred or cancelled at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital last year, worsening the long waiting times for surgery.

This was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Ramokgopa, the cancelled operations were due to the following reasons:

- Patient Related. Not fit for surgery. Pre- Med findings, defaulting;

- Infrastructure related e.g. power outage;

- No ICU or High Care bed; and

- Patient refused operation

I am concerned by the high number of cancelled operations often for avoidable reasons.

This worsens the surgery backlog which last year stood at 11 736 patients - in the worst case, a patient could wait five years for a hip operation.

Unfortunately, Ramokgopa ducked my question on current surgery backlogs by saying that it is “variable periodically due to ongoing service.”

It is unacceptable to give such a vague answer since figures are certainly available but are probably embarrassingly high, which is why she refuses to give them.

The following trends are identified as contributing towards the surgery backlogs:

- Patients are coming to CHBAH from outside cluster hospital including other provinces;

- CHBAH still performs level I and level II and level III types of operations;

- Not enough theatre time available for elective cases;

- Availability of ICU and High Care beds in the hospital;

- Equipment related e.g. limited number of drills, spinal sets, traction tables, microscope; and

- Increased number of Trauma case eg. MAV, PVA and assault cases

Instead of covering up the surgery backlog, Ramokgopa should ensure that critical posts are filled at the hospital, and rectify the shortages in equipment and ICU beds.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 23 May 2018