MEC Mathabo Leeto says the backlog is a result of the high demand for services and the shortage of specialists as well as operating theatre time. 

In dealing with the backlog in the previous financial year, the department completed 131 orthopaedic procedures at Botshabelo and Albert Nzula hospitals. 

The backlog of orthopaedic surgeries at the Boitumelo Regional Hospital in Kroonstad was put in the spotlight late last year. During an oversight visit at the hospital by the Democratic Alliance (DA), it was alleged that they found operating theatres non-functional which has been an issue since May 2022.

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DA Health spokesperson in the provincial legislature Mariëtte Pittaway said air conditioners are out of order due to vandalism. She said they also found leaking roofs in the theatres. 

“We were informed that only emergency procedures are being done in the theatres.” 

She added that operating without air conditioners, in high temperatures, is an extreme risk and it increases the chance of infections. 

Broken air conditioners are only one of the challenges at the Boitumelo Hospital. She recently explained that the issues still remain the same as she alleged that there are construction signs on site, however, there is no construction taking place.

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The backlog in the province is not an unusual issue. In early 2022, some of the patients at the province’s foremost trauma hospital, the Pelonomi Hospital, complained about having to wait a long period of time at the hospital before getting operated on. 

A doctor – who spoke anonymously - outlined some of the challenges that have led to the backlog of orthopaedic operations at the hospital. The doctor at the time said there is a critical shortage of nurses and the shortage is worse after hours and on weekends. 

Due to the shortage of nurses, only one theatre can be used for all trauma cases.

Amongst the shortage of staff, there was also a shortage of medical accessories such as syringe needles and protective clothing, as well as a backlog of equipment maintenance and a shortage of linen. 

The staff shortage also not only affects nurses but also security guards and cleaners. 

Doctors and nurses must reportedly step in regularly to prepare the theatre for the next surgery.

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In response to the complaints of the patients, the provincial Department of Health’s spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said the staff at the hospital are also overwhelmed by the huge demand for orthopaedic services due to high volumes of cases of trauma, violence, and injury, which require more theatre space, time, and resources. 

He also explained that the department is working relentlessly to strengthen healthcare services and remove the burden of high volumes of referrals to Pelonomi by strengthening orthopaedic services at lower levels of care. 

At the time there was an outreach done by the Boitumelo Hospital to ensure that the hospital becomes a "centre of excellence" in the near future.

OFM News