DURBAN - Two machines - the CT scan and the cystoscopy machines - are broken at Madadeni Regional Hospital, in Newcastle. Patients waiting for diagnosis on
possible life-threatening illnesses, through the use of these machines, are being referred to Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, more than 250km away.
Hospital staff yesterday confirmed that the machines were broken.
A cystoscopy is a thin light tube that can be inserted through the urethra and into the bladder. It has a small lens attached to the tip for the
doctor to see inside into human organs. It is used to diagnose bladder cancer, blood in urine, chronic pelvic pain, frequent urinary infections and urinary stones, among others.
A patient who was supposed to have had a CT scan done at Madadeni Hospital last week was told the machine was broken and they would be contacted about an appointment at Grey’s Hospital.
The staff could not say exactly how long the two machines have been broken, but said it was “a little while”.
The staff also revealed that patients who needed to use the cystoscopy machine were first given an appointment to see a specialist who travelled from Grey’s Hospital on selected dates to consult with patients at Madadeni Regional Hospital.
After the appointment with the specialist, the patient would need a cystoscopic examination. The patient would then be referred to Grey’s Hospital.
A CT scan, which combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles using a computer to create cross-sectional images of the bones and blood vessels, provides far more detailed
information than an X-ray machine.
At a press conference yesterday, the DA released the SA Human Rights Commission’s report on the challenges in the provision of health-care services for oncology patients in the province.
The DA had complained to the commission in February last year about the issue, which led to the investigation.
The commission found that the provincial Health Department violated the rights of cancer patients to have access to treatment.
Ncamisile Nkwanyana, Inkatha Freedom Party provincial spokesperson on health, said the party was planning an unannounced visit to Madadeni hospital to follow up on complaints from patients who were not being attended to.
“The problem of health machines that are broken is a problem affecting most hospitals in the province. On top of that, we are aware of the staff shortages that have forced some patients to return home without receiving treatment, Nkwanyana said.
Imran Keeka, DA provincial spokesperson on health, yesterday said Madadeni Regional Hospital was one of the many hospitals in the province that had major problems in the procurement of critical life-saving machines that
were unserviced, broken or not replaced.
“A regional hospital with a big urology department that is operating without a cystoscopy machine is, for example, like operating a fire station without a fire truck.
“These are machines that are ageing or not looked after in terms of getting them serviced. It is a huge problem for the province and it is costing people’s lives,” he said.
They were calling on the provincial health department to cancel the current contract dealing with the procurement of its equipment so it could deal with this problem.
“The department needs to adequately deal with the ageing and broken equipment in the province in order to deal efficiently with patients
with emergency diagnoses,” Keeka said.
The department had not responded to the Daily News’ questions at the time of publication.