Hope for KZN cancer patients
More oncologists brought in to help
AFTER being told that she would only see an oncologist in July, a sick and frail Adams Mission woman (who did not want to be named) asked her family to get her funeral policies up to date.
“It was like she had given up and lost hope. This hurt,” said her brother, Mduduzi Radebe.
The woman, whose condition began deteriorating last year, has stage IIIB undifferentiated cervical cancer and is being treated at Queen Nandi Hospital in Empangeni, northern KWAZULU-NATAL.
This was after Radebe received a call from Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, in Durban, where his sister had been booked to see an oncologist in July, telling him they would be getting a referral to Queen Nandi Hospital.
Radebe explained that about four years ago his sister began complaining of back pains and abdominal pains and her condition became worse over the years. There was a time when the family was boiling cannabis for her to take to help ease the pain.
“I spoke to many people at work about my sister’s condition out of worry, not knowing that someone was going to do something about it. We were told (by the person on the phone) that there were no oncologists and the hospital would only be getting them in two weeks,” he said.
Radebe added that the person also said that in his sister’s situation, there was an option for referral to Empangeni.
“I was desperate… we couldn’t wait for two weeks. We made arrangements, and had an appointment for Monday last week and she was admitted, to get her haemoglobin levels up so they can start treatment,” he said.
Radebe said the family had renewed hope because his sister was much better and had regained some of her strength – no longer needing their mother’s crutches which she had started using.
“Staff at that hospital, her gynaecologist Dr Nonhlanhla Dlamini, as well as the medical manager have been patient with us as a family, explaining everything that is happening, giving us an opportunity to ask questions as well.”
Radebe added that the family was anxiously waiting for results which would determine whether patches that were found on his sister’s liver were cancerous or not.
“I believe that my sister would have died before her July hospital appointment,” he said.
Lorraine Govender, the national advocacy co-ordinator for the Cancer Association of South Africa, said it was a concern that they had an influx of calls from patients who had long waiting periods for access to radiotherapy treatment – some as long as nine months.
“Mkhuhla Cansa Care Home in Umbilo, which also accommodated patients with cervical cancer, currently has no patients in its facility who are undergoing treatment for cervical cancer in the public sector. This means that they are sitting at home waiting,” she said.
Govender said cervical cancer was the second leading cancer in women in KWAZULUNATAL with the highest mortality rates countrywide.
“It is sad that more lives will be lost due to the lack of life-saving treatment. While we applaud the public private partnership in northern KZN, we encourage similar partnerships that can support our patients in the public sector.”
A volunteer with Cansa said it upset hospital staff at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Memorial Hospital when they had to call patients to cancel appointments with oncologists.
Meanwhile, KZN Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo said cervical cancer was among the top five cancers prevalent in the province.
He was speaking earlier this week at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital where he welcomed three oncologists from the Wits Health Consortium who would be seeing patients at the hospital five days a week.
“The oncologists being here eight hours a day means that 150 new patients and 300 follow-up patients will be seen per month. This will also cut waiting time to see oncologists to an average of six to eight weeks,” he said.
Dhlomo said in the province there were currently four oncology machines, three at Inkosi Albert Luthuli and one at Greys Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, where there are four permanent oncologists.
“In the province, at least 365 new cancer patients every month and 1 400 patients attend our oncology clinics as follow-ups every month.”
Oncologist Dr Victor Litlhakanyane, who will be leading the team, said that while the doctors would not be offering their service for free, this was a sacrifice as they had to leave their private practices.
“They are very keen and happy to provide their services. This is not just about clinical care; they also want to assist the department to bring back the training programme so that the department can again begin training registrars,” he said.