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Baragwanath hospital to increase number of elective surgeries

Baragwanath hospital together with Bheki Mlangeni Hospital has started carrying out elective surgeries.
Baragwanath hospital together with Bheki Mlangeni Hospital has started carrying out elective surgeries.
Image: 123RF/Dario Lo Presti

Gauteng acting health MEC Jacob Mamabolo announced on Sunday that the number of elective surgeries at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, will be gradually increased.

This after the health department cancelled elective surgeries at the start of the national lockdown in March.

Mamabolo said Baragwanath hospital, together with the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital, has started carrying out elective surgeries.

"Depending on the development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the facilities will be gradually increasing the number of surgeries, especially elective cases.”

He said in the last two weeks, 517 surgeries had been performed.

The total number of elective cases that were deferred at Baragwanath hospital was 7,541.

“Given the alert level that we are moving into, it becomes important that across our facilities we gradually resume those services that were negatively impacted at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Other facilities will also be catching up on elective surgeries,” Mamabolo said.

With alert level 1 under way, South Africa has endured trials and tribulations since the beginning of the national lockdown. TimesLIVE sat down with vaccinology and infectious disease expert Prof Shabir Madhi from Wits University, who shed some light on what could be next for the country, and a few lessons learnt along the way. He gives an update on the vaccine trial and considers the possibilities of a second wave of infection, warning that the country is not yet out of the woods.


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