Thousands of cancer patients – and advocacy groups – in Gauteng are still waiting in vain for news about treatment, despite the provincial Health Department’s claims that it’s making progress in outsourcing radiation treatment to private facilities.
Many of the 3 000 patients who have been waiting for years say they have received no communication from the authorities, despite the department’s claims that private facilities are now treating patients, reports News24.
In November last year, the Cancer Alliance and SECTION27 approached the Gauteng High Court over the department’s failure to spend R250m on oncology services and implement the outsourcing plan.
The unspent funds had to be returned to the provincial Treasury.
In recent weeks, the department said that private service providers like Busamed, Clinix and Life Healthcare, had been contracted to help clear the backlog.
However, the Cancer Alliance has raised concerns over the secrecy surrounding these outsourcing arrangements, with no public updates on how many patients have actually received treatment.
The Alliance’s Salome Meyer said: “To our understanding, some patients have started their treatments. We know that only 20 patients can benefit from outsourcing the treatment centre, which will take three weeks.
“That implies it will take a very long time for 3 000 patients to be treated. We still do not have a concrete concept of the backlog list and whether patients who would have started their treatment have been on this list.”
SECTION27 said it was crucial to distinguish between the 3 000 patients on the backlog list, dating back to November 2021, and the waiting list for newly diagnosed patients who also have to join to queue for radiation treatment.
“There is currently no mechanism in place to keep track of the patients on the backlog list, and to monitor how many have died while waiting for treatment,” said SECTION27 attorney Khanyisa Mapipa.
She added that international guidelines, which South Africa follows, stipulate that patients must receive radiation treatment within 90 days of surgery or chemotherapy to be successful.
“Gauteng Health is in violation of these guidelines, even after the allocation of special funds in 2023 to erase this backlog.”
Questions to departmental spokesperson Motalatale Modiba about the outsourcing of treatment to private facilities have remained unanswered.
Delays continue
In March 2023, the Gauteng Treasury allocated R784m to tackle the cancer crisis and to erase the backlog of patients waiting for radiation treatment.
However, the first tranche of R250m allocated for the 2023-2024 financial year was unspent and had to be returned to Treasury.
The second tranche – R261m – for the 2024-2025 financial year will lapse in March, but advocacy groups fear that delays in finalising outsourcing agreements mean that most of this budget also remains untouched.
The Department awarded a contract to Siemens last year for treatment planning, amounting to R17m, but technical issues led to further setbacks, forcing the department to reissue tenders, causing months of additional delays.
“We learnt in affidavits submitted to court by the department in November that Siemens had finalised the planning process for fewer than a hundred patients at that time,” said Mapipa.
“On top of that, planning services should be followed by radiation treatment within the stipulated 90-day period. Failure to do so means the planning process must happen all over again, leading to more delays and more money draining government coffers.
“We want the High Court to rule as unlawful and unconstitutional the department’s failure to spend the initial funds. We also want it to order the department to provide a record of decision-making in its tender process for planning services in the absence of service contracts with private healthcare facilities for radiation treatment.” ‘
As bad as Life Esidimeni
A statement by the DA last week compared the continuing failure of the Gauteng Health Department to spend its budget for urgent cancer cases with that of the Life Esidimeni scandal.
The party’s shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom said: “The DA calls on Premier Panyaza Lesufi to fire …MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko and HoD Lesiba Malotana to ensure accountability. They should be replaced with competent people who really care about fixing our public hospitals to save lives and alleviate suffering.”
“This is a human tragedy. Patients who have been on the list for many years are owed an explanation or at least some … communication. And for the families of those who have already died, they are owed a public apology,” said Meyer.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Gauteng Health accuses Cancer Alliance of interference as case postponed
Activists march for unused R784m to be spent on cancer patients