UKZN supports Mandela Week surgical marathon
UKZN's urology team played a key role in performing complex procedures and reducing waiting lists through a public-private partnership.
THE University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) urology team recently treated 74 patients in five days during the ASH Mandela Week Surgical Marathon, helping reduce surgical waiting lists
The surgeries were done at the Victoria Mxenge – St Aidan’s Hospital Tertiary Complex in Durban and the Ngwelezana Provincial Tertiary Hospital in Empangeni. This made a substantial contribution towards the national campaign’s aspiration of treating at least 200 patients by the end of Mandela Month.
The surgical teams performed a range of complex urological procedures, including surgery to correct congenital birth defects, reconstruct damaged urethras, and remove kidneys or testes affected by cancer.
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The procedures were undertaken on patients who had been waiting for elective surgery in the public healthcare system, several of whom underwent multiple operations/procedures during the marathon. The total number of procedures is yet to be consolidated.
Head of UKZN’s Discipline of Urology and Head of the KZN Clinical Department of Urology, Dr Cindy Zietsman, said the initiative demonstrates what can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together.
“Treating 74 patients in just five days demonstrates both the commitment of our multidisciplinary team and the impact that strategic public-private partnerships can have on reducing surgical waiting lists,” said Zietsman.
“Despite operating with limited human and financial resources, we have shown what is possible when specialist expertise, hospital capacity and external partners work towards a common goal.”
To maximise patient access, operating theatre capacity was significantly expanded throughout the KZN leg of the marathon. At Victoria Mxenge – St Aidan’s Hospital Tertiary Complex, eight theatre slates operated from early morning until late each day, compared with the usual six. While at Ngwelezana Provincial Tertiary Hospital, theatre capacity doubled from two to four slates.
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She said the demand for specialist urological services in KZN continues to far exceed available capacity. Patients requiring urgent, life-threatening procedures typically wait between two and eight weeks for surgery, while those requiring non-life-threatening elective procedures can wait up to 12 months.
The Surgical Marathon is being implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding between ASH (a non-profit public benefit organisation) and the National Department of Health, to eliminate elective surgical waiting lists in South Africa’s public healthcare system.
Founder and CEO of ASH, Dr Viola Morolo, said the organisation’s vision is to eliminate elective surgical waiting lists through collaborative partnerships that strengthen South Africa’s healthcare system.
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