Johannesburg - A 50-year-old mother of two, who is a breast cancer patient, is pleading with authorities at Helen Joseph Hospital to perform an operation following her chemotherapy last year.
Theresa Schultz said she was due to start her surgical procedure in November, but whenever she was scheduled to be booked in, she was informed of a shortage of bed linen. She said she had been turned away three times after having secured dates for her surgery, with the latest booking being in January.
“I only have two chances to live. I have two last chemotherapy sessions at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, which has gone out of its way to help me get my life back. However, I am being failed by Helen Joseph Hospital, which is telling me about the shortage of bed linen while I am fighting for my life. If I do not get the surgery in the next two weeks, I am afraid I am going to die, and what is going to happen to my two daughters and my grandchildren, who look up to me for their support?” Schultz said.
Last month, the DA reported that over 36 237 patients were on the waiting lists for operations in Gauteng public hospitals, with a waiting period of five years for some surgical procedures.
Schultz said ever since she was diagnosed with cancer, she has lost not only her husband, who died in a car accident over three years ago, but also her job, due to her condition. The now unemployed mother and grandmother said she even lost her house in Riverlea due to the constant chemotherapy sessions she had to undergo.
She said her last chance at life is hanging in the balance due to the shortage of beds, adding that even applying for an RDP or Sassa grant has not been successful.
“I am told that cancer patients do not qualify for social grants. I am poor and unemployed and cannot afford to go to private doctors. My only hope in life lies in getting the media involved, as I have lost everything, including my husband, my job and my home. I have no one to fall back on, and have even thought of taking my life due to the many frustrations I am facing. I just hope I will get help soon enough before it is too late,” she said.
Schultz is not the only person in this position. The Star spoke to another patient, who did not want to be named, but said she had finally been moved from Helen Joseph Hospital and recently undergone her surgery.
“I am no longer affected by the shortage of beds after I was able to be successfully moved to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, where my operation was finally concluded … So I am no longer a breast cancer patient as my surgery went smoothly,” she said.
In a recent statement, Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the department was working on a way to help reduce surgical backlogs, which continue to affect residents of the province.
“Currently, the province has 32 000 patients at public hospitals on the waiting list for various procedures, the majority of which are elective surgeries.
“The waiting period ranges from weeks and months for some procedures like caesarean sections, hernia repairs, cataracts and knee replacements, to a year or more for procedures such as hip replacement, knee arthroplasty and implants, and up to 10 years for organ transplants,” Nkomo-Ralehoko said.
Attempts to get comment from the Department of Health were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
The Star