National Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi should intervene to save hundreds of cancer patients whose chances of survival are worsening due to the Gauteng Health Department’s negligence.
According to figures given last week at a meeting of the Gauteng Legislature’s Health Committee, there are 2637 cancer patients waiting for treatment – 1440 prostate cancer patients and 848 for other cancers at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, and 349 patients at the Steve Biko Hospital.
This underestimates the need as there is also a waiting time to be diagnosed before they can be placed on the treatment list. Many patients are taken off the list because the delay means radiation therapy is no longer an option, which drastically cuts their survival chances.
It reminds me of the Life Esidimeni tragedy as the Gauteng Health Department opposes the court action of Section27, the Cancer Alliance and the Treatment Action Campaign. They are trying to get the department to effectively spend the R784 million that Treasury allocated over three years to cut the cancer backlog.
It is scandalous that not a single cancer patient was treated last year using the R250 million that was budgeted. This money should be rolled over into this financial year and used with the R261 million in this year’s budget to arrange speedy radiation treatment at private hospitals.
Aaron Motsoaledi was National Health Minister when the Esidimeni deaths were revealed, and he instituted the inquiry by the Health Ombudsman and rescued patients from NGOs.
The Democratic Alliance calls on Minister Motsoaledi to intervene decisively in this cancer crisis to save the lives of patients, as he did before with Esidimeni.
