PREVIEW: Report puts hospital eye health back in focus

According to reports, Madadeni Hospital has the same number of patients awaiting cataract surgery as McCords in Durban.

Madadeni Hospital has not responded to reports of thousands awaiting eye surgery there.

Is Madadeni Hospital involved in a provincial eye health crisis?

DA Member of the Provincial Legislature, Dr Imran Keeka said this is so, while the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health (DOH) has denied it.

Keeka and DOH have opposing views on the reported backlog of patients awaiting cataract surgery in the province.

ALSO READ: World Sight Day 2017

The numbers are said to run into the thousands.

National media reports suggest patients awaiting surgery at Madadeni Hospital are around 3 000, matching the number at specialist McCords Eye Hospital in Durban.

Dr Keeka has described the situation as an eye health crisis.

READ: MUST READ: Paterson Street man dies while waiting for ambulance to arrive

“It is tragic that such a high number of patients are being made to wait to have operations that will restore their vision. The [DOH] continues to fail residents at every turn due to poor healthcare system administration.”