A gift of 100 free operations

Staff give their time for others

GENEROUS medical staff from the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town are taking part in the Western Province “Operation 100” initiative, providing 100 free operations to mark Nelson Mandela’s centenary celebrations.

Non-emergencies such as nose, ear, knee and hip surgeries are being prioritised by the hospitals, as people who are scheduled for these surgeries often experience significant delays when emergencies arise.

Darren Francis, from the Western Cape Department of Health, said: “With non-emergencies, such as joint replacements, I’m aware of people waiting as long as five years for the surgery. We (the department) are really happy this project is freeing up our waiting list and bringing a better quality of life to many people.”

The hospital teams are selflessly giving up their Saturdays as part of the initiative, and some are doing so for free.

“We had one surgeon who performed around 40 cataract surgeries in one day, which is a fantastic achievement. We’re very grateful to all our staff who’ve worked overtime during this period. Mandela believed in helping others. I think we’ve done his memory proud,” Francis said.

Francis commended sponsors such as Sea Harvest, adding that without their support, initiatives such as this would not be impossible.

“One joint replacement surgery costs the department around R80 000. Bear in mind that we have performed these surgeries free of charge. We still have costs, so it’s fantastic that sponsors could support us in trying to improve so many lives.”

The last of the 100 operations is scheduled to take place on Monday.

HELPING OUT: Red Cross Children’s Hospital has a number of surgeons performing operations pro bono on children who need it, alleviating a backlog in the system. They have performed all types of surgery.