Lesufi apologises to cancer patients for delays in treatment at Gauteng hospitals
JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has apologised to cancer patients for the delays in treatment at the province's public hospitals.
Earlier this year, the Gauteng High Court ordered the provincial Department of Health to provide oncology radiation services to about 3,000 patients who have been on a waiting list for about three years.
The Gauteng government has since been granted leave to appeal the judgment, which it says would jeopardise the standard of oncology care at its hospitals if implemented.
At the Gauteng legislature sitting on Tuesday, Lesufi acknowledged this situation could have been handled better by the government.
READ: Gauteng DOH welcomes court granting it leave to appeal judgment on provision of radiation services
"I want to take this opportunity this opportunity to apologise to all cancer patients, it was not our wish to put them through these difficulties. Unfortunately, when you have court cases and a backlog, it is very, very difficult for the department to balance the two, but this is not an excuse. I have received a detailed report on how this backlog will be eliminated, and I remain convinced this backlog will be eliminated and once more, my heartfelt apologies to the cancer patients in our province."
Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng spokesperson on health, Jack Bloom, said Lesufi's apology has unfortunately come too late for some of the cancer patients.
"It's far too late for hundreds of cancer patients who have died because they didn't get radiation treatment within the required 90 days. So if they don't get it within this specific required period, they are going to suffer and die, and their lives could have been saved, and really, in my view, this is as bad as the Life Esidimeni disaster."
On Monday, Gauteng Treasury revealed the provincial health department underspent its budget this financial year 2024/25 by more than R720 million, something Bloom says is unacceptable.
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