Johannesburg - A backlog at the biggest hospital in Joburg has left thousands of patients waiting for a cataract operation for up to 12 months.
DA Gauteng member of the provincial legislature, Jack Bloom, said in a statement today that a total of 4 100 patients wait for a year for the visual correcting procedure at the St John's Eye clinic at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
This was revealed on Tuesday by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s oral response to questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
The MEC stated that delay was because the medical facility was also servicing patients from other provinces.
“Mahlangu said that cataract operations were also being done at the Bheki Mlangeni hospital in Jabulani in Soweto,” said Bloom.
However, he said, Mahlangu did not respond to queries about a patient, Selina Ntsoko, who from April, came back to the hospital six times.
She was eventually told that she could only have the operation in February next year because no lenses were available for the operation.
Bloom said many patients who are in need of the surgery to restore their sight were elderly.
“Extra sessions should be arranged that include private surgeons to cut the waiting list as soon as possible,” he said.
According to the National Eye Institute, a cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision and that they are most common in older people.
The Star