New radiation machines assist cancer care at Joburg hospital but medicine shortages cause delays

5 March 2020

Progress is being made with new radiation machines to reduce the backlog of cancer treatment at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, but medicine shortages are worsening survival chances.

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

According to Masuku, there have been shortages of ten chemotherapy drugs as well as morphine. The effect has been “patients not getting their medicines on time which compromises treatment outcome and relapse of the cancers. “In the case of insufficient morphine tablets, “the treatment of the patient may not provide sufficient pain relief. “

A total of 713 cancer patients are waiting for radiation treatment, broken down as follows:

Prostate - 450

Gynaecology - 125

Breast - 113

Head and neck - 25

I am particularly concerned by the large number of prostate cancer patients who need radiation treatment. This should improve as two new Linear Accelerators were commissioned late last year, and two more Accelerators should be in operation in June this year at a total purchase cost of R208 million.

The backlogs have grown because of radiation machinery breakdowns, as well as broken Cobalt source and simulator machines which Masuku says will be replaced in the 2020/21 financial year.

Masuku says that the breakdowns have resulted in “increased complaints from patients, longer waiting times and decreased

staff morale.”

It is regrettable that machine breakdowns and medicine shortages have worsened the survival chances of many cancer patients at the hospital. It should not be necessary for this major hospital to send 10 cervical cancer patients a week to Klerksdorp Hospital in order to assist with the backlog.

I hope that the new machines and a full-line medicine supply can cut the backlog and waiting time for these vulnerable patients whose lives are in the balance.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC on Health, 5 March 2020