Another Life Esidimeni brews in Charlotte Maxeke cardiac unit

What could become yet another Life Esidimeni episode is festering at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital cardiothoracic unit.

The heart surgery mortality rate at the facility is said to have reached an alarming rate, with Gauteng authorities allegedly trying to cover up the matter.

Heart surgery mortality rate alarming

That’s according to the DA provincial health spokesperson and member of the Gauteng legislature, Jack Bloom, who demands answers about the 14% death rate at the hospital.

He wants the Gauteng health department and the University of the Witwatersrand, which runs academic programmes at the hospital, to account for the high rate of patient deaths, a far cry from the 2% to 3% for international standards.

Bloom was alarmed after the provincial department admitted to have lied in its previous reply to his written question that there was 72.5% decrease in mortality between 2023 and 2025.

For 2025, the mortality was at 14%, which Bloom said was too high compared with the internationally standard at 2%-3%.

“According to their new figures, the mortality rate for heart surgery in 2025 was 14% – 23 deaths out of 166 surgeries. This compares to 19% mortality in 2024, 21% in 2023, and 12% for July to December 2022.

14% mortality at Charlotte Maxeke cardiac unit

“They now claim this reflects a progressive and sustained improvement in outcomes, with an overall -34% reduction in mortality between 2023 and 2025.

“The morbidity figures they give for heart patients are also appallingly high – 22% last year and a similar percentage in the previous year,” Bloom said.

He rejected the department figures, saying the situation was most likely to be worse than reported because the department admitted it had given him the wrong figures.

“This is bigger than Life Esidimeni. There are patients there that could have been saved. “It appears they are not being professional, they are unprepared,” Bloom said. The DA called for heads to roll at the department and at the hospital’s cardiothoracic unit.

A private consultant, prof Adam Mohamed, is said to have resigned at the unit in protest and concern at the increased mortality. Bloom praised him for taking a conscientious stand against the mortality disaster at the unit.

Professor resigns in protes

He said after heart surgery, patients often go to the wards only to pick up sepsis. They are at risk of death all the time.

Bloom held a media conference on the entrance of Wits University yesterday morning where he called on Wits vice-chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi to urgently investigate the causes of the “appalling high mortality rate” for heart patients at the hospital.

“The Wits Medical School has failed heart patients by allowing poor management to endanger their lives, and training in this speciality may collapse,” Bloom said.

Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel said: “This is a matter that does not fall within the purview of the university,” adding queries should be directed to the hospital CEO and the provincial health department.

The provincial health department’s spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department takes all concerns relating to patient care seriously and remains committed to transparency, accountability and continuous quality improvement within specialised health care services.

Dept rejects suggestion of cover-up

He said during a review of information previously submitted to the Gauteng legislature, a discrepancy was identified in the calculation of mortality reduction figures.

“The department rejects suggestions of a cover-up regarding clinical outcomes.

“Clinical performance within the cardiothoracic unit is subject to established governance, audit and oversight processes,” he said.

Charlotte Maxeke’s head of surgery, Prof Thifhelimbilu Luvhengo, defended the cardiac unit’s work, saying surgeons are well-qualified.