#THOUSANDS OF CANCER PATIENTS DYING IN KZN

Dr Mzukisi Mgulwa, the Secretary of the South African Medical Profession-KZN (East Coast Region) has lambasted the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health administrators for allowing a high number of terminally-ill cancer patients to die in their hospitals which could have been prevented. It is alleged that the machines used by the oncologists department to treat patients were lying used or not operational in many hospitals for a number of years, hence the highest number of deaths.

Speaking on the Raido 2000 interview on Tuesday afternoon (after the 16h00 news slot) he said the provincial department health authorities were responsible for the high number of deaths as all the cancerous ailment suffering patients were not receiving high care treatment because all the cancer experts ( he mentioned the oncologists and urologists) were leaving the state hospitals in droves to the private sector as there was visible lack of incentives in working for the state hospitals.

He accused the provincial health department authorities for being responsible for so many deaths that could have been prevented if there was a political willingness if they wanted to save those lives.

He announced that so much hardship was still to happen as all the oncologists were finding it difficult and unbearable to treat their patients as all the machinery provided for top quality medication were malfacturing or allowed to to be be in a state of disuse by the health authorities.

The South African Human Rights Commission, too, has entered the fray on the victimisation of the state hospitally-dependent patients. SAHRC is reported to have issued a stern rebuke to the Health Department MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, whereby they accused him of being careless about the poor people's lives and also responsible for the high toll of cancer-suffering patients in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

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Attempts to get comments the KwaZulu-Natal state hospitals or the department of health spokesperson drew blank at the time of going to print.
The End.