Hospitals

 

One month later and still no surgery for elderly woman who suffered extensive injuries at Limpopo hospital – This is what happen when you cannot afford medical aid and you left in the care of government hospitals!

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Catherine Ugoda and her twin granddaughters were admitted to the Louis Trichardt Hospital on 22 December after the taxi they were travelling in crashed into a bakkie on the N1.

An elderly woman who suffered extensive injuries during an accident exactly a month ago says she’s frustrated and disappointed that she’s still waiting for surgery in a Limpopo hospital.

Catherine Ugoda and her twin granddaughters were admitted to the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital on 22 December after the taxi they were travelling in crashed into a bakkie on the N1.

She says she was initially told she wouldn’t have surgery at the time because the majority of doctors were on leave.

The Limpopo Health Department says her operation is scheduled for Wednesday.

Ugoda says she would have left the hospital if she had money.

“I’ve been in this bed since 22 December. [Service] at [this] Limpopo hospital is very poor.”

Her twin granddaughters have already been discharged, bu
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Grandson laments treatment at PE hospital – ‘Not one nurse to help him’

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Life St George’s Hospital in Port Elizabeth has launched an internal investigation after the grandson of one of its patients posted photos of his grandfather soaked in urine and blood with “not one nurse to help him”.

This was despite the hospital knowing the elderly man needed 24-hour care for which he was signed up for, Jason Gordon wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

His grandfather was blind and suffered from dementia.

“This is not the first time I have visited him after work to find something wrong. The first time they had inserted his drip incorrectly. It took more than 3 days for the swelling to go down,” Gordon wrote.

“This is not the kind of care I would expect when you pay so much for medical aid; this kind of thing should not be acceptable in any state or private hospital. You would expect people in the medical profession to be compassionate and want to make sure their patients are comfortable, not leaving them in an embarrassing and unhealthy s
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Let’s have a look at why doctors and nurses are facing unemployment

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It’s the age of austerity and it’s bad news for doctors, nurses and patients alike — unless the state can do more with less.

Almost 200 posts for doctors and specialists remain unfilled at Gauteng’s four academic hospitals — and many of these posts are likely to remain empty, the health department says.

Gauteng hospitals can only fill half of its critical medical staff vacancies — positions that normally go to doctors, specialists and nurses, Gauteng health department deputy director general for clinical services Richard Lebethe says.

Hospitals were first informed about this via an April circular sent to hospitals.

The head of psychiatry at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Wendy Friedlander, says medical officers are feeling the strain of almost 80 vacant posts.

“Doctors [now] have a much greater doctor to patient ratio. If you have more patients, what you can give in terms of time, facilities and resources to each patient is much
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There are so many complex reasons for South Africa’s organ donor shortage

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At any given time, there are around 4,300 people waiting for organ donations in South Africa. These patients usually need new livers, kidneys, lungs or hearts. But organ donors are in very short supply.

This isn’t unique to South Africa. Many countries around the world are unable to meet the demand for donor organs. There are a few exceptions, though. One example is Norway, where a surplus of deceased donor livers has been reported.

So what explains South Africa’s organ donor shortage?

Religious and cultural beliefs play a role, because they influence the decisions people make about the remains of their loved ones. Sometimes families prefer that a relative’s body remain whole and intact; in other cases it’s considered important to bury a person within a certain time frame. But attributing the shortages to these factors alone grossly oversimplifies the issue, as research has shown.

There are many complex elements that keep donor num
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South Africa needs stronger leadership and increased budgets in mental healthcare

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The psychiatric profession should play a greater role in advocating for patients’ rights and improving management of mental health in the public sector after a series of recent tragedies that highlighted the neglect of mental healthcare in South Africa.

Professor Bonga Chiliza, incoming South African Society of Psychiatrists (Sasop) president, says the deaths of 144 patients in the now-notorious Life Esidimeni tragedy; allegations of abuse and human rights violations at the Tower Psychiatric Hospital in the Eastern Cape; and the suicide of UCT Health Sciences Dean Prof Bongani Mayosi following his battle with depression all point to need for better management of public sector psychiatry

Therefore, the organisation will ramp up its lobbying for mental healthcare to be allocated an equitable share of the national health budget. Chiliza says Sasop would also be doing more to encourage medical students to specialise in psychiatry, in order to grow the numbers of qual
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A change in birth options: What’s behind SA’s skyrocketing C-section rates?

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Almost one in four babies born at public hospitals come into the world via c-section but is it costing some women their lives?

For decades, Caesarean sections were a last resort for mothers and babies in distress. If you had access to this kind of procedure, you could count yourself among the world’s lucky.

At the dawn of the 21st century, rates of the procedure in almost all African regions save for the continent’s north dragged along at less than 5%, recently published research in The Lancetshows. Meanwhile, the continent was home to more than half of the 13 countries responsible for the majority of the world’s maternal deaths, World Health Organisation (WHO) data from the year 2000 shows.

At the same time, C-section rates in much of Asia and Eastern Europe hovered around 7%.

Almost 30-million babies will come into the world this year by Caesarean if 2015 figures are anything to go by — nearly double the number of infants delivered in this way alm
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ANC regime se ondersoek na privaat gesondheidsorg kos die belastingbetalers reeds miljoene Rand

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Die verkwisting van geld duur net voort en wek die indruk dat sulke ondersoeke ’n nuwe vorm van korrupsie is waar sekere mense hulleself verryk.

Die Kompetisie Kommissie se ondersoek rondom Gesondheidsorg se ondersoek het die staat R196 miljoen gekos.

Die vyf paneel lede is as volg vergoed: dr Cees Van Gent van Nederland het R11,7 miljoen ontvang, dr Ntuthuko Bhengu R9,7 miljoen, dr. Lungiswa Nkonki R6 miljoen en prof Sharon Fonn R3,3 miljoen.

Die voorsittende regter Ngcobo het R5, 9 miljoen in die sak gesteek.

Die res van die reuse bedrag is opgeslurp deur operasionele- , regs-, data-, sekuriteit- en media koste.

Die verslag sal glo in Maart 2019 gepubliseer word.

Deur: Die Vryburger
Hierdie berig weerspieël nie noodwendig die mening van SAUK-nuus nie.

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Free Medical-Aid, Hospital and Funeral Plan and Insurance Quotes at www.MedSure.co.za
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A cancer drug offers more affordable treatment for diabetic retinopathy

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Treatment for diabetic retinopathy can be expensive, especially in low and middle-income countries such as South Africa, but a recent doctoral study at Stellenbosch University (SU) found that a relatively cheap drug called bevacizumab could be effective.

“We found that injecting bevacizumab into the eyes could help treat diabetic eye disease and prevent blindness in people living in low and middle-income countries,” says Dr Jose Fernando Arevalo, chairperson of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Bayview Medical Center in the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore in America.

Aevalo, who is also the president of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, obtained his doctorate in ophthalmology at the second ceremony of SU’s December graduation.

He says the rapid increase in the prevalence of diabetes means that by 2040 more people will be at risk of developing diabetic eye disease and therefore less ex
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Government health care system a disgrace – Elderly man from Sasolburg fear for his life after told to only come back to Boitumelo Regional Hospital in 2020 for much needed surgery

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A 61-year-old Sasolburg man has been left angered and fearing for his life after being told he has to wait until 2020 before he can have surgery at a hospital in Kroonstad to treat his debilitating condition.

Joseph Morake had already waited seven months for November 30, the initial date of surgery given to him in April this year at Boitumelo Regional Hospital to alleviate the severe swelling in his scrotum – a condition known as bilateral hydrocele.

“To my understanding, if left untreated, this swelling could lead to a hernia or even prostate cancer.

“I already had anxiety throughout the seven months waiting for the surgery meant for last month … At my age, it really isn’t easy. And the swelling was getting enormous, making it difficult for me to sit or even use the toilet,” Morake told City Press this week.

But to his surprise and horror, Morake said on the long-awaited date of surgery he and a group of about 14 other patients were “rudely d
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Pietermaritzburg mortuary mess:- workers return to work after arrests

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The Fort Napier workers had been on a go-slow since November. They have been demanding a wage increase, back pay and better working conditions.

Seventeen employees of the Fort Napier Medico Legal Mortuary in Pietermaritzburg, who were arrested on Monday, were released with a warning on Tuesday. They were arrested after the Department of Health issued an ultimatum to workers to return to work or face arrest.

Department of Health spokesperson Ncumisa Mafunda said that on Tuesday, 16 forensic pathology staff members from Gale Street Medico Legal Mortuary in Durban had also been arrested. According to National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) provincial secretary Phakama Ndunakazi, they were released the same day.

Mortuary workers demand better pay
The Fort Napier workers had been on a go-slow since November. They have been demanding a wage increase, back pay and better working conditions.

“The 17 employees were release
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SAPS under fire for “negligence” in their investigation of Naka Drotské’s case

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The family of Naka Drotské revealed he is in a “critical condition” on Wednesday. His family want justice, but there could already be obstacles in the way.
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Criminals target Johannesburg clinics, facilities without electricity after cable theft – Services at the clinic have been temporarily suspended

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The Westbury clinic in Johannesburg was left without electricity after it was tampered with the facility’s main power cable said the health and social development department on Wednesday.

The clinic’s operating manager said in a statement he saw an unknown man running from the building on Tuesday afternoon after a loud blow noise was heard. He also noted smoke from the same direction as the bang.

“The fire brigade was called for precaution and the patients were evacuated. It was a relief to know that there was no fire and the smoke was of wires that burned when the cables were cut, “the department added.

Due to damage to the main power cable, the generator, which serves as backup, could not be switched on.

Services at the clinic have been temporarily suspended and all vaccines have been sent to a nearby clinic for storage.

City Power is working to restore power to the clinic.

Protea South Clinic in Soweto also experiences power cuts due to residents i
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Less than 2000 state ambulances nationally may be on the road

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The national health department says it is against outsourcing emergency services. But with a grave shortage of ambulances, it may have no choice.
Just 1971 state ambulance vehicles are on the road nationally, a Bhekisisa survey reveals.

Health department guidelines say there should be at least 5 700 ambulances in operation — or one for every 10 000 people, according to standards quoted in the KwaZulu-Natal health department 2017 annual report. But with less than 2 000 actually functioning, there are only enough state emergency vehicles to cater for about a third of the population, data from provinces show.

A May audit of provincial health departments by the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) found shortages of ambulances and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in several provinces.

In response, Bhekisisa requested the latest EMS vehicle and personnel numbers from all nine provinces. The Gauteng, North West, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and Eastern Cape hea
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Wonderful news, Genetics may be the key to new epilepsy therapies

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An international study has discovered 11 new genes associated with epilepsy, which greatly advances knowledge of the underlying biological causes of epilepsy and may inform the development of new treatments for the condition.

Researchers compared the DNA of more than 15,000 people with epilepsy to the DNA of 30,000 people without epilepsy. This has created a better understanding of genetic factors that contribute to the most common forms of this condition, and the results tripled the number of known genetic associations for epilepsy and implicated 11 new genes.

The majority of current anti-epileptic drugs directly target one or more of the associated genes and identified an additional 166 drugs that do the same. These drugs are promising new candidates for epilepsy therapy as they directly target the genetic basis of the disease.

“This work illustrates the power of scientists collaborating across countries and continents. Discovering these new genes for epil
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Verkeerde diagnose by Steve Biko- akademiese hospitaal ontaard in lewensgevaarlike kanker wat vrou se hele gesig skend

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’n Pretoriase vrou is in skok nadat haar “koorsblaar” in ’n lewensgevaarlike kanker ontaard het wat al groot dele van haar gesig geskend het.

Clara van Heerden (52), van Hermanstad in Pretoria-Wes, beskuldig die dokters van die Steve Biko- akademiese hospitaal dat hulle haar al sedert 2016 verkeerd gediagnoseer het.

Sy sê die dokters daar het aanhoudend gesê sy het ’n infeksie. Hulle het verskeie reekse antibiotika voorgeskryf, maar nooit ’n biopsie gedoen nie.

“Niks het gehelp nie,” sê sy. “Dit was die heeltyd net seer.”

En elke keer was die “koorsblaar” groter.

Sy sê sy is al sedert verlede jaar op ’n waglys om ’n biopsie te kry.

Sowat ’n maand gelede het sy dit met die finansiële hulp van ander in die private sektor laat doen.

Dr. Fritz Hoogendijk, ’n private kaak- en mondchirurg, het twee weke gelede vir haar die uitslag van die biopsie gegee: Sy het nog al die tyd kanker en nie ’n koorsblaar nie.

Clara
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