Question NW1839 to the Minister of Health
11 December 2017 - NW1839
Carter, Ms D to ask the Minister of Health
With reference to the reports indicating (a) a catastrophic collapse of oncology services in the state hospital system in KwaZulu-Natal, (b) that there are currently no oncologists in the employ of the state in the Durban area to service the Addington and Albert Luthuli Hospitals and (c) that there are only two remaining oncologists in the employ of the state in Pietermaritzburg, servicing Grey’s Hospital, which amount to a human rights violation, what (i) are the root causes of this unacceptable situation, (ii) steps has the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health taken to arrest and turn this situation around and (iii) actions and interventions does his department intend to take in this regard?
Reply:
(a) The breakdown of the linear accelerator at Addington Hospital resulted from lack of maintenance following a dispute between the suppliers and the KZN Department of Health. This has resulted in the province contracting a new service provider to maintain the equipment which from all accounts they failed to do. All oncologists that worked at Addington Hospitals were transferred to work in Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital. This also meant that all patients that required radiation in the eThekwini district were referred to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital. It appears that the perceived additional workload at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital contributed to the oncologists resigning.
(b) The Department is in the process of finalising a service level agreement with the supplier of the linear accelerator that requires significant repairs.
The KZN Department of Health has issued a tender to contract private oncologists to work in the public sector. This tender closes on 14 December 2017. In addition, the Department has recently requested the National Department of Health for assistance to recruit English speaking foreign oncologists who are eligible for registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
(c) The National Department of Health has:
- Placed an order for a new linear accelerator to replace one of those in Addington Hospital; the service provider will also address infrastructure issues related to the bunker, including air-conditioning and leaks.
- Concluded a benchmarking exercise to assist the KZN Department of Health to evaluate the bids received against the tender referred to above.
- Commenced with a search for foreign qualified oncologists as a short term measure
- Developed a national plan for radiation oncology that was approved by the National Health Council on 7 December 2017 – given that the need to strengthen radiation oncology services throughout the country and in anticipation of increased need for these services over the next 5-10 years.
END.