By Charmaine Ndlela
The Gauteng health department said it had cleared a backlog in cancer treatment in the province thanks to public-private partnerships and changes in how patients are managed and treated.
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko made the remarks while delivering a keynote address during a World Cancer Day commemoration at the Orange Farm Multipurpose Centre this week.
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“I am proud to say that we no longer have a backlog in cancer services because of the public-private partnerships we have implemented to reduce waiting times,” she said.
The province has developed a provincial cancer plan to guide longer-term improvements, Nkomo-Ralehoko said.
“This plan is not a document on a shelf; it is a living programme of action shaped by the real experiences of patients and healthcare workers,” she said.
She said the department was intensifying public education campaigns on cancer risk factors such as tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets.
“Early detection and screening are central to our approach,” she said.
The department said it was improving referral pathways so that patients who screen positive move faster to diagnostic services, while strengthening pathology and laboratory capacity to reduce turnaround times.
“We are investing in radiation oncology through equipment replacement, infrastructure upgrades at oncology facilities, recruitment, training and radiation therapists,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.
The department said an improved waiting list management system was being implemented to ensure accurate, verified and transparent information on patients awaiting treatment, and that shortened radiotherapy courses had enabled more patients to be treated.
In South Africa, approximately 110,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed each year, and an estimated 250,000 people are currently living with cancer, according to the department.
Dr Sheynaz Bassa, Head of Radiation Oncology at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, said the pattern of cancers being treated had remained largely consistent.
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“If we look at data from several years back compared to what we are treating now, cervical cancer remains the most prevalent cancer we see, followed by breast and prostate cancer,” she said.
She said outcomes worsened when patients presented later in the course of disease.
“In stage one cancer, cure rates are about 80 to 90%, and in stage two around 75 to 80%. However, once patients present at stage three, cure rates drop to about 60%,” she said.
“The challenge is that many patients do not present early. The larger the tumour or the more cancer cells present, the more difficult it becomes to eliminate the disease using available treatments,” she added.
Dr Duvan Ramiah, Head of Oncology at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, said services in Gauteng were stable but required ongoing investment to prevent new waiting lists from building.
“Equipment ages, and we need to continuously ensure it is well maintained so that waiting lists do not build up again,” he said.
Nkomo-Ralehoko called for stronger partnerships with universities, training institutions and private healthcare providers to expand capacity.
She said civil society had a role in keeping services patient-centred and encouraging communities to seek healthcare early.
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