Gauteng Health ‘fails cancer patients’, DA demands dismissals
The Gauteng High Court ruled that the provincial Health Department acted unlawfully by failing to provide urgent radiation treatment to cancer patients.
The Gauteng Health Department acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally, the Gauteng High Court ruled last week.
The department failed to provide urgent radiation treatment to thousands of cancer patients.
No reaction to this ruling has been forthcoming from the Gauteng government.
However, this irks Jack Bloom, a member of the provincial Legislature and DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC.
The DA in Gauteng is demanding that Premier Panyaza Lesufi fire Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko and Head of Department Lesiba Malotana, following the scathing judgment.
This case was brought by Cancer Alliance and Section27 after they were rebuffed by the department concerning the urgent need to provide this treatment.
According to Acting Judge Stephen van Nieuwenhuizen, there “is a clear, imminent and ongoing irreparable harm that cancer patients who are on the backlog list are suffering”.
His interim order gives 45 days to the Health MEC, the head of Department (HOD), and the CEOs of the Charlotte Maxeke and Steve Biko hospitals, to update the backlog list of cancer patients awaiting radiation oncology services.
According to Bloom, there are more than 2 000 patients on the cancer backlog list, but hundreds of them will no longer benefit as radiation treatment has to be done within 90 days of surgery to kill malignant cells.
“With cancer treatment, speed is everything, and any delay causes stress in a patient,” said Bloom.
He pointed out others have already died because of the years of delay in spending the allocated R784-million budget, of which R250-million was returned to Treasury.
Day 5 | Still No Action from Premier Lesufi
The Gauteng High Court ruled that the cancer treatment delays are unlawful and unconstitutional.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi still hasn’t fired Health MEC and HOD. @JackBloomDA#DA_GPL #CancerScandalTrackerRead: https://t.co/ZzrF5pAzfz pic.twitter.com/ioMx1jTRpl
— Democratic Alliance Gauteng Legislature (@DA_GPL) April 1, 2025
Bloom told Rekord cancer is a life and death issue and every day the treatment is delayed by prejudices a cancer sufferer’s chances for survival.
“It is many days after the ruling, but we have yet to hear Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s response to this scandal,” said Bloom.
He referred to cancer patients at Steve Biko hospital in Pretoria and said it is one of only two places where state patients can receive radiation treatment in Gauteng and where there is such a backlog that needs to be addressed.
“Backlog list patients have already passed away, waiting for treatment that has not been forthcoming. Actual, irreparable harm has already occurred, continues to occur and is reasonably apprehended. The provincial health respondents, however, ignore this.”
He believes Lesufi should immediately fire the Health and Wellness MEC and Head of Department.
“Every day that he delays in firing them shows how little he cares about fixing this notoriously corrupt and inefficient department,” said Bloom.
“The ANC should stop protecting MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko as they did when blocking my motion of censure in the Gauteng Legislature for her failure to work with cancer interest groups to ensure speedy treatment to save the lives of cancer patients.”
Bloom launched a Cancer Scandal Tracker to count the days until Lesufi dismisses those accountable for the cancer treatment disaster.
The Tracker can be found on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
“To provide this service is a question of service providers in the private sector that must be appointed. It is like any other service that the department would procure. It can be done and it should be done.”
Bloom is also upset about the Gauteng Health Department’s admission that nothing has happened concerning Lesufi’s promise in February last year to expand health services network by buying 18 private hospitals.
Lesufi said there would be a Private Public Partnership (PPP) with a workers’ pension fund to aid the purchase.
“The department however said in a written reply to my questions that they have not entered into any agreement for private hospital acquisition,” confirmed Bloom.
“It’s yet another failed Lesufi promise that dashes the expectations of patients fed up with long queues in public hospitals.”
The department pointed to existing partnerships with private facilities and said four new hospitals are planned, two in Pretoria.
Bloom said the provincial authorities however indicated that due to fiscal challenges, the majority of these projects have been put on hold.
The status of the two planned Pretoria hospitals is as follows:
– the proposed Olievenhoutbosch hospital, land acquisition and a suitability investigation of the land is still underway
– the proposed hospital in Soshanguve, the land identification study is still underway
According to the provincial government, in addition, the Johan Heyns Community Health Centre in Pretoria is being upgraded to a district hospital.
“I doubt that any of the four hospitals will be built in the next 10 years as this department is grossly mismanaged as the cancer scandal shows. All that they have done about these hospitals is to get the land ready.
The provincial government is inefficient and does not have the money to make these promises. The DA in Gauteng will continue to push for competent and honest people in key positions to ensure quality public healthcare.”
The Premier’s office was approached for comment but none had been received at the time of publication.
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