Thursday, 28 March, 2024
HomeSA Provincial HealthLong queues for eye patients in Gauteng

Long queues for eye patients in Gauteng

Elderly patients awaiting cataract operations at the St John's Eye Clinic at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital have been treated badly this year. The DA’s Shadow MEC for Health in Gauteng, Jack Bloom writes in Politicsweb that on 20 January, patients with scheduled operations were told to go home because machinery was not working with no effort being made to contact them to say that surgery had been cancelled. Bloom writes that according to a recent written reply to questions in the Gauteng Legislature, 3,091 patients at the St John's Eye Clinic wait three years from diagnosis to operation. He says this clinic is drastically under-staffed, with 19 vacancies out of 40 positions and has the longest waiting time for cataracts in Gauteng. Bloom says the staff and equipment shortages lead to frequent cancellations and rescheduling of operations, which is very stressful and distressing for elderly patients who have waited a long time to regain their sight.

[link url="http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=932753&sn=Detail&pid=71616"]Full Politicsweb report[/link]

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