Gauteng Health underspends R500m despite high number of cancer patients
Despite having over 2600 cancer patients waiting for treatment, the Gauteng Department of Health has underspent its budget.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has slammed the provincial Department of Health for underspending over R500 million despite having a high number of critical cancer patients.
According to the party, R511 million of the budget for urgent cancer cases has been unspent since April last year (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024).
GAUTENG HEALTH UNDERSPENDS ON CANCER PATIENTS
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom said the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital has 2 288 patients waiting for radiation therapy, compared to 364 patients at the Steve Biko Hospital.
At CMJH, the list includes 1400 prostate cancer patients on hormone therapy, as well as 497 breast cancer patients, 100 gynaecology patients, and 80 gastrointestinal tract (GIT) patients.
Bloom said historical delays due to Covid-19 and the fire at CHJH are blamed for the long waiting lists, as well as load shedding, overcrowding of patients from other provinces and countries, and the inability to attract Radiotherapists to the public sector.
“More lives have been lost in this scandal than the 144 mental patients who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy.
“The DA will continue to press for the urgent involvement of the private health sector to save the lives of cancer patients in our public hospitals,” Bloom said.
In response, Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the reason the department underspent was that outsourcing to private facilities needed to be re-advertised.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng health and wellness portfolio committee said a shortage of specialised staff and hospitals stretched beyond capacity due to patient referrals from across South Africa and neighbouring countries significantly burden Gauteng’s government health system.
The committee’s chairperson, Ezra Letsoalo, said oncology services at the central hospitals extend not only beyond the province but also across national borders. They offer highly specialised care that is difficult to replicate at tertiary and district hospitals, which often lack essential surgical, diagnostic, and pathological capabilities.
Letsoalo said that hospitals face a high volume of referrals from other provinces, such as North West, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, further straining an already overburdened system.
“The allocation of beds becomes increasingly complex as they accommodate patients from outside Gauteng, who are likely to require inpatient care based on clinical treatment guidelines, mainly due to their proximity to the hospitals.
“ The backlog is exacerbated by the significant number of foreign nationals seeking cancer treatment and other healthcare services in the facilities,” Letsoalo said.
DEPARTMENT DRAGGED TO COURT
Meanwhile, in July, Section27, Cancer Alliance and the Treatment Action Campaign, went to court to force the department to effectively spend its budget to cut the cancer treatment backlog.
Gauteng Health reportedly failed to use R784 million meant to clear the thousands-strong backlog of cancer patients waiting for life-saving radiation and oncology services.
DO YOU THINK PANYAZA LESUFI WILL ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE?
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