POLITICS

3 294 ops cancelled at Chris Hani - Jack Bloom

DA MPL says among reasons were overbooking (1 262) and shortage of ICU beds (926)

3294 OPS CANCELLED AT BARA HOSPITAL

3294 operations were cancelled at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital from January 2018 to end-September this year.

This has been revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

The reasons for cancellation were as follows:

Overbooking - 1262

Shortage of ICU beds - 926

Patient related - 559

Shortage of consumables - 210

Equipment related - 115

Infrastructure related - 312

Most of these factors are avoidable, caused by poor management that overbooks patients or fails to ensure working machinery and surgical supplies. The shortage of ICU beds for post-operative recovery is also of concern.

The high number of cancellations is distressing for both patients and staff and worsens the long waiting times for surgery - more than 6000 patients currently wait more than six months for surgery at this hospital.

According to Masuku, the following steps are being taken to reduce cancelled operations: 

Improving booking systems, indicating the operating time.

Creating ward 7 High Care dependency for surgical department = 22

Performing some of the operations in cluster hospitals.

Saturday elective list (Extra list).

Extending arthroplasty list to 7 to 7 during the week.

Strengthening of cluster systems and outreach.

I hope that better management cuts the unacceptably high cancellation of operations at this major hospital.

Statement by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 27 November 2019