A bedridden father’s struggle for an MRI scan appointment has highlighted the massive healthcare challenges in Mpumalanga, where none of the main hospitals has the necessary functioning equipment, and which have to refer patients to private hospitals for the costly procedures.
Elvis Mahlangu (48) has been waiting for an MRI scan for more than a year, having lost the use of his legs after visiting KwaMhlanga Hospital in 2019, where he had a spinal injection because he was apparently suffering from a urine blockage, writes Yoliswa Sobuwa for Health-e News.
“When I got to the hospital I was first injected in the arm and then in the spinal cord as doctors said they wanted to run tests. They diagnosed spinal tuberculosis,” he said.
“I was in hospital for six days, and when I was discharged, I could not feel my legs. But the doctors said I was going to be fine. They gave me six months of medication to treat the spinal TB. But even after six months I still could not walk.
“In 2020, I was transferred to Witbank Provincial Hospital but the doctors could not see what was wrong with me.”
In March 2023, doctors at Witbank Hospital conducted a CT scan, but could still find nothing, so told Mahlangu he needed an MRI scan.
“They said they were going to book me for an MRI but after that I heard nothing,” he said.
Public patients to private hospitals
Jane Sithole, DA spokesperson on health in Mpumalanga, said the provincial Department of Health had advertised a tender for the provision of MRI services for Rob Ferreira, Witbank, Ermelo and Themba Hospitals in 2020.
However, she added, these critical machines were “apparently not a priority for the department”.
“For years, the department has been acting as if it’s doing something about acquiring MRI and radiology services, but nothing comes out of it. We have been inundated with calls from public health doctors saying that without the essential MRI scanners, they are unable to diagnose complicated medical conditions early or start early treatment and ultimately prevent loss of life.
“They rely on X-ray machines, which may sometimes not be accurate in detecting the seriousness of injuries and illnesses in patients,” she said.
She added that patients are sent to the private health sector for scans. “The department is responsible for the payment because poor people can’t afford to do an MRI at a private hospital for R12 000.”
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) provincial secretary Cyril Mdhluli said neither of the province’s two tertiary hospitals, Rob Ferreira Provincial Hospital, in Nelspruit, and Witbank Provincial Hospital, has MRI machines.
“They have never had one at Rob Ferreira, so patients needing the services are taken to MediClinic. And at Witbank Hospital, the MRI is currently not working so they are sent to Life Cosmos Hospital.”
Health-e News approached the Mpumalanga Health Department to intervene after hearing about Mahlangu’s predicament. Witbank Provincial Hospital then booked Mahlangu an MRI appointment at Life Cosmos Private Hospital for 1 May.
No clear answers
Mpumalanga Health failed to respond to questions about the lack of MRI machines, nor did it comment on the costs of sending patients to the private sector for MRI scans.
It said, however, that when Mahlangu had arrived at KwaMhlanga Hospital casualty he was accompanied by relatives and was never seen walking by himself.
Provincial Health spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said Mahlangu was seen by the doctor and diagnosed with neck stiffness, and chronic conditions “that cannot be disclosed due to patient doctor confidentiality”.
“He was referred to physiotherapy and an occupational therapist for neurodevelopment. Psychotherapy was conducted on 19 August 2021 for the patient and his wife. The hospital will continue with his treatment and strengthen the importance of explaining to the patient about his condition,” Malamule said.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
SIU orders Health official’s pension freeze
Mpumalanga Health underspends budget despite chronic staff shortages
CT scanner disaster at major hospital
Hand-held ultrasound scanner shows its potential in rural Africa