Gauteng MEC for Health Qedani Mahlangu‚ admitting that Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital is experiencing backlogs in surgery‚ says she will improve the management of health facilities and prioritise emergency cases.

She attributed the backlogs to “limited theatre time‚ shortage of equipment and Intensive Care Unit beds‚ donor shortages for liver transplant and no show of booked patients”.

Charlotte Maxeke has about 2‚246 patients waiting for surgery‚ the MEC said in a statement.

“As a means of intervention to reduce the waiting lists and periods‚ some of the surgical procedures are already performed at Edenvale and Tambo Memorial Hospitals. Furthermore‚ minor operations are referred and performed at some Health Facilities in the Johannesburg Cluster accordingly.

“I am confident that‚ we will succeed in our endeavour to bring down surgical backlogs and waiting times in Gauteng hospitals. The department will continue to implement the strategy to improve the situation‚ this includes prioritising emergency cases and improve the management of health facilities.”

Mahlangu said Charlotte Maxeke hospital had deferred about 355 operations due to what she called limited resources and lack of cooperation from some booked patients. These categories of patients included transplants‚ vascular surgery‚ melanoma and ‘head and neck’.

“Whilst the number of patients on the waiting period is evidently high‚ the department is working tirelessly to improve the situation‚ (and) our health professionals are giving their utmost best to ensure that all patients receive treatment when it is due‚” the MEC said.