The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital dismissed ‘misleading’ information shared regarding cancelled operations. The DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom had on July 17 stated that many operations were cancelled at the hospital as temperatures in the theatres were too low due to a heating system failure.
According to a statement by the manager of communications and public relations at the hospital Tabudi Madisha, Charlotte Maxeke Hospital had put on record that there were no ‘more than 50 elective cases cancelled due to the cold weather conditions’.
“The statement by Mr Bloom creates the impression that all elective cases were cancelled, which is not true,” said Madisha.
He added that there were 53 operations scheduled for July 10, and 26 cases were done, while only 15 were cancelled due to low temperatures in theatres and 12 were cancelled for reasons not related to this.
Out of the 15 cancelled cases, three were thoracic surgeries, six were for trauma orthopaedic, two were for paediatric orthopaedic, one was for paediatric plastics, and three were for ear, nose and throat.
Madisha said the problem of temperature control had been a challenge for the facility for years. It had become worse in the past two years due to the copper theft when the facility had been evacuated for months after the fire incident. He explained this affected the central heating system of the facility which regulated the level of acceptable temperatures in the entire hospital, but mostly in the theatres.
To remedy the situation, Madisha said the process of installing schedule 40 pipes, which were less susceptible to theft as they did not have an attractive market value as copper did, had started. During the installation process, the theatres and intensive care units were prioritised. “From the date of appointment, June 28 to date, the contractor has completed the installation of scheduled 40 pipes for Blocks 2, 3 and 4. The installation process at Block 5 has already started and the work is progressing well ahead of schedule.
“The facility would like to apologise to the public for any inconvenience this might have caused. The installation of the schedule 40 pipes is a necessary project that would address the issue of copper theft and the central heating system.
“The facility would further like to assure the public that this matter is getting the urgency it deserves, and cancelled cases are being attended to.”
Details: Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital 011 488 4911.
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