Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) in partnership with humanitarian group Gift of the Givers hopes to raise R10 million by May to reduce the backlog of 6 000 surgeries for patients on the hospital’s waiting list.
On Tuesday 25 January the hospital and the humanitarian organisation launched the Surgical Recovery Project at the hospital.
The hospital says due to the Covid-19 pandemic several services including surgeries were disrupted leading to a massive backlog.
According to Dr Bhavna Patel, Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, between 10 000 and 15 000 patients did not undergo their operations over the past two years.
“Covid-19 has disrupted the way we deliver health care because in the last two years we’ve had to curtail our outpatients’ services, we’ve had to curtail the number of admissions into hospital and along with that the number of surgical procedures that we can do.”
Gift of the Givers has donated R5 million to the project and is challenging individuals and businesses to match their donation to ensure these surgeries are carried out.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said as an organisation they supported 210 hospitals nationwide during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is a collective effort initiated by GSH and the bigger picture is to do 1 500 procedures. We have to do it. We have to finish it. We have to get the funding and we have to get it fast not in six months time, but today. People cannot wait another year to get sorted out.”
Patel says in 2019 the hospital was doing about 19 000 operations. “The number of operating theatres we had we had to reduce by about 40%. This is because we had to reallocate staff that were working in theatre to go and work within the Covid-19 wards and to work in the Covid ICU. That means that almost about 10 000 to 15 000 patients did not undergo their operations over the past two years.”
Dr Lydia Cairncross, Head of General Surgery at the hospital, says currently there are more than 6 000 patients waiting for essential surgery.
“We are talking about patients with chronic back and joint pain who are awaiting joint replacements. Patients who are slowly going blind as they wait for cataract surgery. Patients who have chronic hernias. Men with urinary retention who are waiting for prostate surgery.
“Women with cervical and ovarian cancer. Women with breast cancer or other breast problems who are either waiting for the breast cancer surgery or for breast diagnostic surgery.”
Cairncross says the sacrifice during Covid-19 of postponing operations was necessary but adds that they now need to find a way to recover.
“The health system is at full capacity; it’s bursting at the seams. There is no space to address a backlog. When we go back into our normal systems, we are back with new people coming in with new problems needing operations. And those who have been waiting are still waiting.”
She says the funds will be used to provide 1 500 deserving patients with operations for a year.
“We hope to run 500 theatre lists over one year, providing 1 500 to 2 000 operations to deserving patients. At R15 million for the year this means that for every R10 000 donated we can approximately do one operation, changing the life of an individual and their family. On average we will do three operations on each theatre list.”
Cairncross says their E4 Ward, which was used as a Covid-19 high care facility, will be used as a theatre to do the operations.
Patel adds: “Our staff have offered to work for free, our surgeons have offered to work for free on a Saturday and Sunday. Many of our nurses are working overtime in order to accommodate this. That just shows the willingness of our staff to do what they can for the patients.”
Sooliman says government should step up. “This is a call on government. They can’t absolve themselves from their responsibility. I have made an announcement many times that the finance minister should relook at supporting the health system in the country because it’s at a crisis point. So, when government institutions come forward and say they want their support they should be given the full support.”
Sooliman says the project is about hope. “It’s about telling people that we care for you.”
He adds: “Your donation today will make a difference for someone who has been waiting more than two years to have their joint replaced, cataract removed or cancer surgery performed.”
- Do donate visit www.gshtrust.co.za/donate
