Volunteer orthopaedic experts clear Limpopo backlog

A group of orthopaedic specialists from Free State and Gauteng provinces converged in Limpopo on the weekend to volunteer time and expertise by performing medical procdures on patients who have been on waiting lists at the Tshilidzini, Voortrekker, Mokopane and Pietersburg Provincial hospitals.
Department of Health Spokesperson Neil Shikwambana indicated that this was part of Health MEC, Phophi Ramathuba’s special project called Orthopaedic Outreach Project (Letsema) which aims to address the surgical backlogs that the province is currently experiencing as a result of a shortage of specialists with these skills. He said on the weekend the doctors performed a total of 96 procedures in the aforementioned health institutions, adding that the project helped minimise a waiting period of orthopaedic patients.
“In Mokopane Hospital patients had to wait for over a month but since the introduction of the project the waiting period has decreased to a week. We conduct such exercises quarterly wherein doctors volunteer their time by performing operations at no cost and they don’t get any sort of compensation from the department,” Shikwambana explained.
It was learnt that the group was led by orthopaedic specialist Steven Matshidza, Head of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of the Free State.
Letsema started at Tshilidzini Hospital in Vhembe District in 2016 when 30 procedures were successfully completed, Shikwambana recalled. He went on to reveal that the procedures included open reductions and internal fixations, external fixations and total hip replacements.
Ramathuba reportedly called upon specialists in other fields to consider ploughing back to their communities by volunteering their time and skills. The benefits and impact of this project cannot be discounted and with this initiative patients will not wait for months before operations are done, she said.

Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za