No treatment for Joburg patients

Cancer patients at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital have been missing treatment for two weeks because of broken radiation machines, the Democratic Alliance said.

"At least 160 day patients do not receive treatment because all six radiation machines have been down for two weeks," DA health spokesman Jack Bloom said.

He found the problem was mainly because of a broken back-up server for the machines.

"This puts lives at risk as it is extremely dangerous for cancer patients to have interrupted radiation treatment."

Earlier this year, broken machines in the hospital's oncology unit caused a severe backlog of cases, said Bloom.

Manual system used

Gauteng health department spokesman Simon Zwane said a manual system had to be used, resulting in fewer patients being treated every day.

"The hospital has a plan to address the backlog... this includes health workers working overtime and patients being picked up from home... until the machines are fixed."

(Sapa, October 2012)