1789 PATIENTS WAIT FOR CATARACT OPS AT BARA HOSPITAL
1789 patients wait for up to 18 months for a cataract operation at the St John's Eye Clinic at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
This was disclosed yesterday by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in a reply to my questions at a sitting of the Gauteng Legislature.
The long waiting list has been worsened by 526 cataract operations that were cancelled or deferred last year.
According to Mahlangu, the cancellations were mostly due to patient factors such as ill-health or lack of consent, but I have heard many stories of cancellations due to equipment failure and staff shortage.
For instance, on 20 January this year, patients with scheduled operations were told to go home because machinery was not working.