CAT SCAN CRISIS AT BARA

The almost complete failure of the two CAT Scanners at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is endangering lives and causing great distress to doctors. This past weekend on Saturday night both machines failed completely, and urgent cases had to be taken to the Rahima Moosa Hospital for CAT scans.

On Monday morning one of the machines was working, but only very slowly. I visited there this morning and still only one machine was partially functional. The machines are meant to work round the clock, so any malfunction leads to backlogs.

Virtually all non-urgent CAT-scans have now been postponed at the hospital. Patients who have already been waiting two or three months are now told to wait another few months.

I saw this morning the disappointment as about 15 patients were told that they had to be rebooked. Yesterday 17 outpatients were turned away as well. Their illnesses grow worse and in the case of tumours can spread dangerously before being diagnosed and treated.

One of the patients had a huge cyst on his forehead. The scandal is that there is a brand new radiology unit awaiting new CAT scanners that were promised before the Soccer World Cup.

Dr Kamy Chetty, Head of the Gauteng Health Department, has told me that two new CAT Scanners have been bought and will be delivered in a number of weeks. I hope that this does indeed happen as the backlogs are huge. Doctors tell me that three machines are actually needed to deal with all the patients who come not only from Soweto but from the Vaal, the East Rand as the Natalspruit Hospital CAT Scanner is down, and from other provinces.

This is a real crisis that has developed because of poor planning and mismanagement.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, Democratic Alliance Gauteng Health Spokesman, February 1 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter