Gauteng Cancer Patients Suffer and Die

Dear Editor

Despite 2652 cancer patients on the waiting list for radiation therapy, R511 million of the budget for urgent cancer cases has been unspent since April last year (note: the financial year is from 1 April to 31 March).

Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko admitted this appalling failure in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

Her poor excuse as to why R250 million was not spent in last year’s health budget is that “the outsourcing to private facilities needed to be re-advertised.”

Furthermore, the R261 million in this year’s budget has not been spent either.

The worst situation is at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, which has 2288 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.

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.

Also cited is the need to expand oncology infrastructure to the Chris Hani Baragwanath and George Mukhari hospitals.

While the department says most patients have advanced disease, so radiotherapy would only be palliative, the failure to provide it in such cases mean these patients die in terrible pain that could have been alleviated.

Medical guidelines specify that radiotherapy should be done within 60 days of surgery or chemotherapy, and no later than 90 days, to destroy remaining malignant cancer cells.

At the Groote Schuur Hospital I which falls under the DA-run Western Cape Health Department, the waiting time for radiotherapy is 1 to 8 weeks depending on the cancer type.

I estimate that hundreds of cancer patients had to be taken off the radiotherapy lists in Gauteng because the 90 day limit had passed. Their lives could have been saved if the department had speedily concluded a contract with private hospitals last year.

This is why Section27, Cancer Alliance and the Treatment Action Campaign, have gone to court to force the department to effectively spend its budget to cut the cancer treatment backlog.

I have submitted a motion of censure in the Gauteng Legislature against MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko for her failure to ensure speedy treatment to save the lives of cancer patients, but the ANC is trying to prevent it being debated.

Premier Lesufi is also to blame as he should have intervened last year to ensure the money was spent, instead of promising mediation between the department and cancer interest groups in August this year, which hasn’t happened either.

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.

Regards

Jack Bloom MPL
DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC