(a) (i) and (ii) The following table reflects the details in this regard
a) What is the current waiting list of |
||||||
Hospital |
(i) Surgeries |
(ii) backlog in the hospitals in Mpumalanga |
||||
General Surgery |
Gynae |
Cataract |
Paediatric |
Orthopaedic |
||
Rob Ferreira |
170 |
0 |
1900 |
110 |
0 |
2180 |
Witbank |
204 |
0 |
1710 |
0 |
54 |
1968 |
Mapulaneng |
70 |
0 |
63 |
0 |
13 |
146 |
Themba |
180 |
32 |
225 |
0 |
12 |
449 |
Ermelo |
50 |
0 |
410 |
0 |
72 |
532 |
Total |
674 |
32 |
4308 |
110 |
151 |
5275 |
(b) The department is running a Registrar Training Programme, which is a programme that offers bursaries to Mpumalanga Medical Officers to train as specialists in the different disciplines. The Medical Officers sign a contract with a work-back obligation to ensure they serve the province after completion of training. The period of the work-back obligation is equivalent to the time the registrar spent in training. The department continues to headhunt surgeons and other specialists to increase the pool.
The department is running synchronised marathons in the regional- and tertiary hospitals (namely Rob Ferreira and Witbank Provincial Tertiary hospitals and Mapulaneng, Temba and Ermelo regional hospitals) to reduce the backlogs of patients waiting for operations and this is beginning to bear fruits. The following can be reported:
The department continues to work on interventions to manage the waiting list of patients waiting for surgeries. The department also works with Tshemba Foundation NPO for cataract surgeries
It is worth noting that the recruitment of specialists in rural provinces remains a major problem and the affected provinces continue to look for innovative ways to recruit and retain specialists.
END.