Breast cancer screening breaks down

WOMEN needing to undergo screening for breast cancer are being turned away at a major KwaZulu-Natal hospital because its mammogram machine has not worked for at least two months.

Ngwelezana hospital in Empangeni has been without a mammogram machine since July, resulting in 600 women having to reschedule appointments for screening.

Acting hospital manager Dr Bright Madlala admits the machine is out of order.

He said the hospital had been waiting since July for authorisation for the machine to be repaired, as well as other crucial medical equipment, such as its Lodox machine – which is a low-dose X-ray machine used in hospital trauma wards.

The hospital was waiting for the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department’s technology services to issue an order to service providers.

“All medical equipment in the hospital has service providers that are responsible for maintaining and servicing them. The quotation is sent to hospital technology services who issue an order for the machine to be repaired.

Ngwelezana Hospital caters for the Zululand, King Cetshwayo and uMkhanyakude districts, with a population of around three million.

Madlala said that when the machine was working, about five mammograms a day were performed. – ANA