The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department says it’s working around the clock to fix the ongoing cancer treatment problems in the province.
Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo appeared before the Human Rights Commission in Johannesburg on Monday after a subpoena was served on him in April.
It follows a scathing report by the commission in 2017 that the department violated cancer patients’ rights to access to healthcare services.
The report came amid an exodus of resignations in Durban’s public oncology services.
In 2017 scores of doctors left government hospitals for the private sector complaining of unsatisfactory working conditions and a lack of working equipment.
The Addington hospital and the Inkosi Albert Luthuli hospital were the most affected.
The crisis has resulted in backlog of over 520 patients who are yet to see oncologists, with some waiting for up to a year for a proper diagnosis.
Almost a year later the Human rights Commission says there’s been little progress to address the crisis.
The KwaZulu-Natal health department however says it has now invested over 40 million to try and deal with the backlog. It says it will also acquire new radiology machines.
