A linen shortage has once again led to the cancellation of operations at Helen Joseph Hospital in west Johannesburg.

The hospital has been “plagued by a shortage of clean linen this entire month”‚ Democratic Alliance provincial health spokesperson Jack Bloom said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ten surgery cases had to be cancelled on Monday‚ while July 23 saw 25 operations being postponed‚ 20 on July 16 and an unspecified number on July 14 and 7‚ Bloom said.

These disruptions‚ Bloom said‚ had theatre staff “at their wits’ end” as it “is very distressing to tell patients that operations have to be deferred‚ especially with long waiting lists‚ which can be as long as three years for a hip operation”.

“The linen problem is caused by erratic supply from the laundry at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital which is unreliable because of a broken boiler‚” said Bloom.

“Hospital management should be allowed to use private laundries which are cheaper and more efficient than dysfunctional state laundries.”