State rejects private care
PRIVATE healthcare is not needed to reduce backlogs in operations at Gauteng hospitals, the province ’ s health department said yesterday.
“Private care is more expensive, and it drains medical professionals from the public system,” the department said in a statement.
The department was responding to a statement by the Democratic Alliance yesterday in which it called for private providers to help reduce the backlog.
DA MPL Jack Bloom said 10 021 patients were waiting for operations at Gauteng hospitals.
“This figure is given by Gauteng health MEC Hope Papo in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng legislature [last week].”
Bloom said the worst backlog was for cataract operations. A total of 5 844 patients had been waiting between eight and 18 months for operations. Therewere 1 899 patients waiting for knee surgery, and 1 662 for hip replacements. A total of 560 patients were waiting for heart operations and 56 needed spinal procedures.
Bloom said as a short-term solution, private healthcare providers should be used.
Gauteng health department spokesman Simon Zwane disputed the numbers. “Those numbers are outdated,” he said. Zwane could not give the updated figures, but said the department would release them soon. –