JOHANNESBURG – The backlog of patients awaiting cataract surgery in Gauteng was 1793, the Gauteng health department said on Tuesday.
MEC Brian Hlongwa said the reason for the backlog was a shortage of appropriately skilled staff.
“The longest waiting period for a surgery ranged from one month to two years.
“We have an existing programme in place at 12 hospitals and one CHC (community health centre) in the province...”
Each of these had set a target for cataract operations per month to reduce their backlog.
“Four centres have been identified as high-volume cataract surgery centres (Natalspruit, Pretoria West and Mamelodi Hospitals and Lenasia CHC) and will be strengthened with additional staffing, equipment upgrades and consumables to address the backlog.”
Hlongwa said the Bureau for the Prevention of Blindness would assist with providing skilled personnel at Lenasia South and Mamelodi Hospital.
“The existing waiting list will be eliminated by 2008, however there are always new cases needing this procedure.”
He said that in 2005 and 2006 the department had performed 9122 and 9764 operations respectively, and about 11,000 operations had been performed countrywide.
Democratic Alliance MPL Jack Bloom said the private health sector should be contracted to reduce the backlog sooner.
“I don’t think that this is good enough.
“It is very debilitating to be without sight while waiting six months or more for a cataract operation,” said Bloom. –Sapa