Gauteng Health Dept conducted 806 surgical procedures on Mandela Day
Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko praised healthcare workers for their commitment, saying staff across the department demonstrated their dedication to saving lives in honour of Madiba.
She also announced the official opening of a newly refurbished breast cancer centre at Helen Joseph Hospital.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the facility will enhance early detection and diagnosis, while also expanding treatment services.
'I am excited again because people are starting to assist those people that are suffering on breast cancer. They are assisting them there a quite a number of things that when you see those people that are not well in the communities, having problems when now we know that Mandela Day will be the day we target those specific cases.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
17 hours ago
- IOL News
Gauteng Health Department urges ex-mineworkers to register for compensation benefits
The Gauteng Health Department has called on former mineworkers to register for the Ex-Mine Security Benefits Programme in Ekurhuleni. Image: File Former mineworkers who retired from the industry due to occupational diseases, without receiving compensation, could soon be able to claim their long-awaited benefits. The Gauteng Department of Health has called on the former miners to register for Phase Two of the Ex-Mine Security Benefits Programme in Ekurhuleni. The registration process started today (July 21) and is expected to run until August 22. The families of deceased mineworkers may also be eligible to claim benefits. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The initiative, in partnership with the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases (MBOD) and other stakeholders, aims to trace, register, and screen ex-mine workers with occupational diseases, ensuring that those who qualify can access their unclaimed benefits and medical surveillance. Many former mineworkers left the industry due to occupational lung diseases, such as silicosis and tuberculosis (TB), without receiving the compensation due to them. In April, Parliament was told that the government was struggling to trace almost 75,000 former miners who were owed R1.3 billion in compensation for lung diseases contracted at work. Presenting the Mines and Works Compensation Fund's 2025/26, Health Department Compensation Commissioner, Barry Kistnasamy, told the Portfolio Committee on Health that most of the miners were assessed more than two decades ago, during an era characterised by poor record keeping and extensive delays. Kistnasamy said that despite the legal requirement that clinical records be retained for 40 years, few records were available for older claims. The commissioner said a total of 66,000 claims approved before 2005 have yet to be paid because the Compensation Commission for Occupational Diseases (CCOD) does not know how to contact the beneficiaries, or even if they are still alive. Department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said Phase One of the project was successfully implemented in the West Rand district, where over 9,000 individuals were reached, with about 539 people completing the Benefit Medical Examination tests. 'It is crucial for ex-mining workers and their families to understand that addressing eligibility issues is essential to ensure that deserving individuals receive the benefits they are entitled to,' he said. Modiba said the former mineworkers and their families may reach out to the MBOD call centre to check if they have any unclaimed benefits. He said medical interventions and compensation benefits for occupational lung diseases and other occupation-related illnesses are covered in the security benefits. He added that there was potential compensation for mineworkers who did 'risk work' at one of the 82 qualifying gold mines between March 12, 1965, and December 10, 2019, and who contracted silicosis or work-related TB from their work. Modiba said there is also potential compensation for deceased former mineworkers, which their next of kin or dependents could claim on their behalf. The claims would be made from Tshiamiso Trust. 'South African Law allows for anyone who has done risk work on the mines and works to have his or her heart and lungs removed after death in order to identify potential compensable occupational lung diseases (OLD). This will only be done if the next of kin provides written consent. The organs are examined for the presence of OLD, which are caused by working in mines or working for extended periods of time. 'If the deceased was found to be suffering from a compensable OLD at the time of their death, their next of kin may potentially receive compensation. It is important to note that this information should be discussed with your family, and that not every case that is examined qualifies for compensation,' said Modiba. During the registration weeks, mineworkers, claimants and potential beneficiaries are invited to register with their latest contact and address information, and to also check eligibility for benefit medical examinations, unpaid occupational lung disease claims, and other known unpaid social security benefits. Modiba said the communities would be requested to bring documents such as Makhulu-skop (mineworker's identity card), identity or passport documents, and any documentation received from the mine.
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Celebrating Mandela Day: 39 women receive life-saving surgeries through Project Flamingo
Project Flamingo's team came together to perform lifesaving surgeries for women battling breast cancer on Mandela Day. Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers Thirty-nine women underwent lifesaving surgeries thanks to Project Flamingo for Mandela Day. Project Flamingo is a South African non-profit organisation that supports women battling breast cancer in the public healthcare sector. Project Flamingo CEO and founder, Dr Liana Roodt, said Mandela Day 2025 was a record-breaking year for them from a surgical standpoint. 'The most surgeries that we've done on Mandela Day previously were 35 surgeries. So this year we managed to do 39. We aimed to do 40, but unfortunately, one patient had to be postponed for medical reasons,' Roodt said. Surgeries were performed at Groote Schuur Hospital, Tygerberg Hospital, George Regional Hospital, Livingstone Hospital, and Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape on Saturday. Roodt said that this Mandela Day, they wanted to push themselves once again to do as much as they could in honour of Nelson Mandela, a great man, and they did that. A Record-Breaking Day: 39 women receive essential surgeries, showcasing the power of community and commitment to healthcare. Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers 'We didn't make our 40 surgeries, but we came pretty close… but I think we've accomplished everything that we set out to accomplish and more,' Roodt said. What also made it special was launching the Make Room for Her campaign, to educate people about what else needs to be done in the system besides pushing for more timely surgeries for their breast cancer patients, Roodt explained. There is a need to create space for her in budgets, the theatre, and the clinic. Furthermore, this inclusion should extend to conversations, policy, and various other areas. Roodt said Project Flamingo aims to expedite and dignify patient treatment by intervening at each stage of the pathway. 'This year was a testament again to what happens if ordinary South Africans decide they want to come together and they want to do something, because to pull all that number of big surgeries takes tremendous team effort and an incredible commitment from so many people, and to see people once again just coming together,' Roodt said. She said that at Groote Schuur Hospital, two patients received mastectomies with reconstruction. Roodt said the female surgical ward at Livingstone Hospital was in a dire state. There were no curtains around the bed, no bed linen, and the ward looked quite sad and neglected. 'Our volunteer team went in there this week and made the ward beautiful. Curtains were hung, bed linen was provided, basins were replaced, mirrors were put up, and it looks like a beautiful, healing and dignified space,' Roodt said. 'That is something that we haven't done before, and it's unique, and I think we're very proud of it.' Project Flamingo pushes boundaries to provide timely and compassionate care for breast cancer patients. Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers Breast cancer survivor and Project Flamingo volunteer Megan Jacobs discovered a lump in her right breast in September 2023. She consulted her GP and went for a mammogram and ultrasound. In October 2023, she underwent her first biopsy. In November 2023, at 34, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. 'It was one of the hardest moments of my life. Although breast cancer runs in my family, it was a shock because I was young. I thought I was living a healthy lifestyle,' Jacobs said. She said she leaned on God and had support from her family and fiancée. Jacobs underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy and decided to have a bilateral mastectomy, but her surgery was a bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy. 'Through my journey, every follow-up or everything that I do, just waking up every day, is just a reminder of how far I've come and that I have been given a second chance. Last Mandela Day, Jacobs had the first surgery of the day. On Mandela Day, the Project Flamingo team united to perform life-saving surgeries for women fighting breast cancer. Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers 'Project Flamingo gave me hope when I needed it the most. They have held me during the most vulnerable time in my life. They also made it possible for me to have a life-changing surgery,' Jacobs said. She said volunteering was like a full circle moment because she could give back and honour the gift she was given. 'I went to see the patients on Friday, and then I was also at the surgeries yesterday (Saturday),' Jacobs said. 'Chatting to these patients, I could see myself in them. Sharing my story just gave them peace and hope. 'I feel like I now have some form of purpose, and I'm just so privileged and so honoured to be a part of an organisation that does life-altering surgeries, and you know that helps women in need,' Jacobs said. [email protected]
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Gauteng Hospitals achieve record 806 surgeries on Mandela Day
The Gauteng Department of Health has introduced South Africa's first Treatment Time Guarantees system. Gauteng public hospitals made medical history on Friday by performing 806 surgical procedures in a 12-hour surgical marathon across 29 institutions. The achievement marks the third edition of the Mandela Day Surgical Marathon initiative and represents a significant increase from the 742 surgeries performed in the previous year. According to the Gauteng Department of Health, the province has become the first in South Africa to introduce Treatment Time Guarantees (TTGs), a framework designed to eliminate unnecessary delays in surgical care. Surgical marathon continues The surgical procedures were completed by 7pm on 18 July, surpassing last year's performance by 64 operations. 'The surgical marathon will continue, however, to run until the end of July 2025,' said Motalatale Modiba, Head of Communication at the Gauteng Department of Health. This year's procedures focused on critical specialities, including cleft palate repair, cataract surgery, colostomy reversal, and prostate procedures. The operations aimed to enhance patient independence and overall well-being, alongside general surgical interventions. MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko emphasised the initiative's growing success. 'Since we embarked on the surgical marathons three years ago, each year we surpass the target of the previous year as we strive to do more to make a difference. The work we do during this period is over and above the normal elective surgeries done by our facilities,' she explained. ALSO READ: Gauteng gets R67bn to fix hospitals, slash waiting times and rescue public health Pioneering treatment time guarantees framework The Gauteng Department of Health has introduced South Africa's first Treatment Time Guarantees system. The innovative approach establishes maximum allowable waiting times for various surgical procedures based on urgency and clinical condition. 'This innovative framework is implemented to improve access to surgical care, promote transparency and strengthen public health accountability,' Modiba stated. The strategic reform aims to streamline surgical care access, prioritise patient needs and hold healthcare facilities accountable for timely treatment delivery. ALSO READ: Gauteng Health dismisses linen shortage claims at Bheki Mlangeni Hospital Historic healthcare transformation Speaking at the TTG launch, MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko highlighted the province's leadership role. 'Gauteng is taking a historic step in transforming surgical care by introducing the Treatment Time Guarantees. We are leading the way by ensuring that patients receive the surgeries they need without unnecessary delays. 'This framework empowers us to actively manage waiting lists and enhance the quality of care for all,' she said. The MEC added that the initiative draws from international best practices. 'This groundbreaking innovation underscores our commitment to improved healthcare delivery in Gauteng, drawing from global best practices while tailoring the TTG framework to meet the unique needs of our healthcare system,' she noted. ALSO READ: New board members across Gauteng hospitals Facility upgrades enhance patient care Alongside the surgical marathon, MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko reopened the newly refurbished Urology Unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. The upgraded facility can now offer safer, more precise prostate biopsies without requiring a surgical theatre. Additionally, the Helen Joseph Hospital Breast Centre of Excellence has also been reopened with enhanced capabilities. Nkomo-Ralehoko said the upgraded facility will improve early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer through advanced imaging and testing equipment. READ NEXT: DA disputes Gauteng health's denial of hospital linen shortage
