The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health says it will be appointing a number of specialists across several critical disciplines.
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has moved to address delays in the provision of critical health services, including surgeries, with the appointment of key specialist doctors.
The department revealed that it intends to spend R45 million hiring specialist doctors.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane recently tabled her department's budget of R60.3 billion - which is approximately R4 billion more than last year. The department has faced criticism for healthcare delays, with allegations that treatment could be postponed for extended periods, resulting in patients remaining in hospitals longer than necessary due to a shortage of specialists.
Simelane said, “The department has prioritised the filling of R45 million worth of funded critical posts to rebuild specialist services at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. In this regard, we will appoint a number of specialists across several critical disciplines. This includes trauma and burns surgery, transplant surgery, cardio-thoracic surgery, vascular surgery, and neuro-surgery. We will also strengthen neurology, cardiology, nephrology, gastro-enterology, rheumatology, and geriatric medicine. Our investment further includes radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, and haematology, ensuring that more patients receive timely cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“We will also be expanding specialist capacity in paediatric surgery, paediatric cardio-thoracic surgery, and paediatric intensive care,” said the MEC.
She added that, “We are also strengthening anaesthesiology, hand surgery, and reproductive medicine and fertility to improve theatre capacity and expand highly specialised services. To support these specialists, we will recruit 40 professional nurses for operating theatres and oncology services.
These appointments will increase theatre utilisation, reduce avoidable theatre cancellations by at least 40 per cent, and expand intensive care capacity. They will also shorten waiting times for surgery, improve patient safety, strengthen clinical governance, and reduce medico-legal risk,” the MEC stated.
Simelane added that expanding specialist capacity must translate into shorter waiting lists and faster access to life-changing surgery. For this reason, the department will implement a series of provincial surgical recovery programmes designed to maximise theatre utilisation and reduce backlogs across high-demand specialties.
The MEC detailed the specialist work the department seeks to undertake in the coming year. This includes conducting four paediatric hypo-spadias surgical camps annually, which refers to the repositioning of the urinary opening to restore normal function in children born with this congenital condition. “This particular surgery will benefit approximately 120 to 130 children each year, building on the 117 procedures successfully performed last year,” she said.
The department will also host three Smile Foundation cleft lip and palate surgical Weeks, increasing the number of children receiving life-changing reconstructive surgery from 20 last year to a target of 45 children during the current financial year. The paediatric cardiac surgery programmes will help children born with congenital heart defects, with a target of 50 heart operations over the next six months. This follows the successful completion of 48 procedures over the past six months.
Additionally, the department will host breast reconstruction surgical weeks, benefiting 60 to 80 women who require reconstructive surgery following breast cancer treatment. There will be weekend orthopaedic surgery programmes, which will benefit up to 180 patients annually, and dedicated weekend maxillo-facial surgery programmes to further reduce waiting times for complex reconstructive surgery as additional specialist appointments are finalised.
DA spokesperson and chairperson of the health portfolio committee Dr Imran Keeka, speaking on behalf of the DA, said the party welcomed the MEC's various announcements aimed at improving specialist services. “The reality is that many specialists are unwilling to work in the public sector for a variety of reasons. These include inadequate resources, insufficient institutional support, poor working conditions, and, most importantly, uncompetitive remuneration.
“During the Health budget debate, the DA proposed exploring public-private partnerships (PPPs) with specialists through agreed remuneration packages tailored to specific medical and surgical disciplines. Such an approach could help address the severe shortages affecting both medical and surgical services,” he said.
Keeka added that attracting specialists alone will not resolve the crisis. “The government must also ensure the consistent availability of medicines, surgical instruments, and other essential consumables. The deterioration of specialist services and the continued loss of experienced specialists from the public sector have been driven, in large part, by these persistent deficiencies,” he said.