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By Selloane Ntshonyane
- Gauteng public hospitals completed 1,074 of a targeted 1,326 surgeries and procedures by 22 July, as part of the Mandela Month Surgical Marathon.
- The department’s Treatment Time Guarantee system shows 1,857 patients have waited longer than the time set for their surgery.
Gauteng public hospitals have completed 1,074 surgeries and clinical procedures this month, closing in on a target of 1,326 by 31 July. That count is separate from the province’s wider Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG) system, which tracks all surgical cases in Gauteng and shows 1,857 patients have already waited longer than they were supposed to for surgery.
The 1,074 figure comes from the Gauteng Department of Health’s Mandela Month Surgical Marathon, a campaign running from 11 to 31 July. The 1,857 figure comes from a separate, ongoing system that covers the province’s entire surgical caseload, not just this month’s campaign.
The TTG system tracks 20,386 surgical cases across the province. Of those, 11,178 patients have already been booked for surgery, and 9,208 still need to be assessed before it is confirmed whether they need an operation at all. The department decides who is treated first based on how urgent a patient’s condition is, rather than only how long they have waited.
The department said 1,857 of those patients have waited longer than the time allowed and are now being prioritised to reduce the backlog. Old paper-based waiting lists are also being moved onto the TTG system.
To speed things up, hospitals are reducing cancelled operations, scheduling more surgeries on weekends and after hours, and referring some patients to regional and district hospitals.
Long waits carry a real cost for patients. Virginia Zondi, 75, from Orange Farm, waited three years for a knee operation after Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital referred her to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in 2019. By the time she was finally called in for surgery in 2022, she turned it down.
“I had waited for so long. I felt I was too old and I have a minor staying with me. I wouldn’t have anyone to help me after the surgery,” she said.
Zondi said public hospitals need more doctors in surgery departments so patients are not left waiting years in pain.
“When people are sick they can’t keep living with pain while waiting for surgery,” she said.
Pictured above: A surgical team performs an operation as part of ongoing efforts to reduce Gauteng’s surgery backlog.
Image source: Gauteng Health Department
