Jack Bloom DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health says in a statement on Politicsweb:
Serious adverse events (SAEs) in Gauteng public hospitals have risen from 4,170 in 2019 to 4,701 last year, an increase of 13%, with Tembisa Hospital by far the worst with 1,226 SAEs during this period. This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
A SAE is defined as an event that results in an unintended harm to the patient by an act of commission or omission rather than by the underlying disease or condition of the patient.
Hospitals with high numbers of SAEs for 2019 and 2020 include the following:
George Mukhari Hospital – 1,022
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital – 883
Kalafong Hospital – 850
Weskoppies Hospital – 74
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital – 632
ThelleMogoerane Hospital – 380
Mamelodi Hospital – 362
Sebokeng Hospital – 324
Helen Joseph Hospital – 319
Leratong Hospital – 258
Jubilee Hospital – 204
The Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital has the best record, with not a single SAE in 2019, and only 2 SAEs last year.
Steve Biko Hospital had the fewest SAEs of the four academic hospitals (the others are Bara, Charlotte Maxeke and George Mukhari), with 55 SAEs in 2019 and 200 SAEs last year.
Some hospitals saw sharp increases from 2019 to 2020. Edenvale Hospital went up from 13 to 129, Leratong from 61 to 197, Helen Joseph from 102 to 217, and Sebokeng from 107 to 217.
The 747 SAEs at Weskoppies Mental Hospital are of concern as there is no surgery at this hospital.
Tembisa’s very number of adverse events highlights the poor judgement in choosing it as a COVID-19 treatment centre. This was a finding of the Medical Ombudsman when he investigated Shonisani Lethole’s death at this hospital.
Our health sector has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and effective measures need to be taken to ensure medical negligence is minimised as much as possible. Proper staffing and resources is critical, as well as good training, and disciplinary measures for non-performance.
[link url="https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/adverse-events-rise-in-gautengs-worst-hospitals–j"]Full statement on the Politicsweb site (Open access)[/link]
See also MedicalBrief archives:
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/3-832-die-in-gautengs-public-hospitals-from-negligent-saes/"]3,832 die in Gauteng’s public hospitals from 'negligent' SAEs[/link]
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/gautengs-hospitals-harm/"]Gauteng’s hospitals of harm[/link]
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/jubilee-hospital-high-serious-adverse-events-list/"]Jubilee Hospital high on serious adverse events list[/link]
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/cases-of-neglect-increasing-at-gauteng-hospitals/"]Cases of neglect increasing at Gauteng hospitals[/link]
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/over-500-serious-adverse-events-at-gauteng-state-hospitals/"]Over 500 serious adverse events at Gauteng state hospitals[/link]