A backlog of 1567 patients are on waiting lists for surgery at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, most of whom will have to wait about six months for their operations.

This is revealed in a written reply to my questions by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu.

The largest backlog is for cataract surgery, where 1000 patients face a six month wait.

138 hip, knee and spinal patients will also wait for six months, as will 85 heart patients.

62 ear nose and throat patients will wait five months, 48 neurosurgery patients for three months, and 82 general surgery patients for six weeks.

92 children will wait two weeks for their surgery.

According to Mahlangu, operations are delayed due to unavailability of anaesthetists, shortage of ICU nurses and the high volume of operations.

The hospital is short of 11 anaesthetists, which led to 32 delayed operations in May, June and July this year.

These long waiting times are unacceptable. Patients sometimes die before they are operated on, or complications set in.

Private surgeons should be contracted in to bring down these backlogs. It is ridiculous that British hospitals fly in Netcare doctors to do surgery, but we don't use this option ourselves.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom, MPL, Democratic Alliance Gauteng health spokesman, August 24 2009

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